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Why desperados must be denied from dabbling into serious leadership positions…. El-Rufai
Why desperados must be denied from dabbling into serious leadership positions…. El-Rufai
By: Bodunrin Kayode
Former Governor of Kaduna State Nasir El Rufai has said that desperate people looking for political appointments should never be allowed to get it.
He said that real leaders are not desperate to get positions at all costs adding that if one is too desperate for a position, its a sign that such a fellow would be self-seeking instead of in support of the general cause of the people.
Speaking further on leadership the former Governor said that “in life the best way to correct this deficit of good leadership which our dear country is suffering from, is by choosing those who never lobbied or asked for a particular position at all costs”
Rufai made these assertions in maiduguri the Borno State capital recently while describing the residents as lucky for having a leader like Zulum with a focus on where he wants to take the state to.
He said that Professor Babagana Zulum was a real leader who never lobbied for the position that was entrusted on him and has proved himself worthy because each time he (Rufai) comes to town he finds new developments amidst choking insurgency which is supposed to be an excuse for non performance.
Rufai who gave a lecture titled “leadership and Public Policy: Navigating challenges and Lessons” during a capacity building workshop on enhancing skills of government officials in policy implementation and productive human resource management in Borno commended Zulum for his giant strides in spite of daunting challenges confronting him.
“Nigeria has been a country with lots of untapped potentials within the last 200 years. What we lack is the ability to choose the right leaders to do the job by taking the country to the next level.
” We have only one problem in Nigeria and that is good leadership i repeat. We will not make progress until we are ready to correct this leadership deficit issue staring us in the face.
” I commend the new look of the state capital maiduguri because its obvious you have a leader who knows where he is going to. The people of Borno are obviously resilient people making progress even in the realm of insurgency.
” if we must make progress in development in this country, we must provide leadership that would take care of the least of the society and not just the five percent who are privileged.”
On development of the country, he advised civil servants and political leaders to stop taking their kids abroad for education when quality education is right here at their door steps.
“if you are a council chair and your son is not attending the local school, you should ask yourself why because it is wrong. Stop taking your kids abroad and fix the public schools with good leaders and to do this you need effective policies. That is the only way one can enhance development.
Also speaking during the special lecture, the Chair civil service commission Dr Bulama Mali Gubio stressed that public policy is the dictionary in the implementation of programs of government.
“Policies are formulated by the state executive council backed by laws. When you divert from policy, the entire phenomenon will crumble. It is a fixated phenomenon not subject to changes just like that.
” Some civil servants fail to recognize the policy of retirement even after serving for 35 years. They cut corners and adjust the files to suit their whims and caprices.
” To stop some of these wrongs, policies must be explained to the the public by the implementors so that the public will understood accordingly.” said Gubio.
Over 250 officers benefited from the five days training for top civil servants in the state which included all the political leaders in the state.
Head of service barrister Mallam Fannami said that the five days of talk shop also included all the Commissioners and permanent Secretaries in Borno state.
The secretary to the state government, Mallam Bukar Tijani who represented Governor Babagana Zulum called on participants to ensure that the knowledge gained will reflect in their productivity as it concerns the management of the service.
Why desperados must be denied from dabbling into serious leadership positions…. El-Rufai
News
NBMA Debunks Allegations of Negligence, Compromise Against It
NBMA Debunks Allegations of Negligence, Compromise Against It
By: Michael Mike
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer (DG/CEO) of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Yemisi Asagbra debunked some allegations level against the agency by some non governmental organisations (NGOs) concerning negligence and compromise.
Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, Asagbra said: “The negative statements circulating are misleading and lack credible scientific backing. The agency asks these organisations to present verifiable scientific evidence for their claims and we relies on sound scientific research and internationally recognized protocols to make informed decisions. It is part of the Cartagena Protocol with over 180 parties, our mandate is to protect the health of Nigerians and the environment. It will not compromise on this as it is an agency of integrity.
She added that: “The agency is transparent and accountable in its operations. It invites review of its processes and rigorous evaluations of GMO products. We are confident in our procedures that it’s meet global standards and it is a leader in effective regulation in Africa”.
On the source of the allegations, she said “over the years they have been advocating to have their presence in the board where all these products coming will be thoroughly Investigated, but it hasn’t been given. Most times we rely on the information given by Nigeria Custom Service to furnish them with needed information, which most time is not always easy if they have other things doing.
The Head planning, research and statistics National Biosafety Management Agency Mrs. Bello Scholastica said the agency is concerned with safety to our health and safety to our environment.
She further reiterated that what NBMA stands for is to establish first regulation from identification of the gene of interest, “of what you are interested in, from then till commercialization, and even after commercialization, they still follow suit to make sure that the approvals they gave hasn’t caused any harm, or those that were given approval to that they stay put to what they were asked to do”.
She further explained that the agency has put in effort to promote environmental conservation and biosafety in Nigeria.
NBMA Debunks Allegations of Negligence, Compromise Against It
News
House of Reps Assures on Passage of Human Rights Defenders Bill
House of Reps Assures on Passage of Human Rights Defenders Bill
By: Michael Mike
The House of Representatives has revealed that it is interested in the passage of the Human Rights Defenders Bill into law, saying that the bill has already passed the first reading and will soon be subjected to second reading.
The House also promised to take the necessary steps to ensure an improvement in the 2025 budget of the NHRC, pointing out that the N5 billion approved for it in the 2024 budget is inadequate considering the myriad of human rights violations in the country.
The Chairman House Committee on Human Rights, Hon. Abiola Makinde made this disclosure during the oversight visit of Committee to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The Chairman, who was represented at the occasion by his Deputy, Hon. Mudashiru Lukeman assured the NHRC that the Committee would continue to advance the course of human rights in Nigeria by ensuring that the House of Representatives passes critical bills on human rights issues as well as makes adequate budgetary provisions to ease the work of the Commission.
Makinde also stated that in a bid to improve some aspects of Civil and Political Rights, the House of Representatives had ensured the establishment of human rights desks in all police formations and Headquarters across the 36 States of the Federation.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Dr. Tony Ojukwu who received the lawmakers with his management staff told the Human Rights Committee that the Commission relies heavily on them for the enactment of human rights friendly laws and enhanced budgetary provisions to discharge it broad mandate of promotion, protection and enforcement of human rights in the country.
He used the opportunity to commend the legislators for their role in the amendment of the NHRC Act 2010 as well as the support of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila in the payment of compensation to victims of human rights violations by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Nigeria Police Force.
He equally informed the legislators who were on oversight visit about the recent report released by the Commission following the findings of the Special Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations in Counter-Insurgency Operations in the North East Nigeria , which he noted has saved the country from possible invitation by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
He noted that the aforementioned wide spread allegations of human rights infractions against some government institutions could result in the ICC extending invitations to some of the leaders to respond to the allegations, but the Commission has done the needful in compliance with the international principles of omplementarity.
He thanked the Committee for promising to improve the budgetary allocation of the Commission in the 2025 fiscal year.
House of Reps Assures on Passage of Human Rights Defenders Bill
News
FG Confirms Arrest of Simon Ekpa
FG Confirms Arrest of Simon Ekpa
By: Michael Mike
The arrest of Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa in Finland has been confirmed by the federal government.
A statement on Friday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Nigerian-Finnish citizen and prominent leader of the proscribed Indigenous People
of Biafra (IPOB), was arrested by Finnish authorities on Thursday.
According to the statement, Ekpa was
charged with inciting terrorism and promoting violence.
The Finnish District Court of
Päijät-Häme ruled to detain him on probable cause for publicly inciting crimes with terrorist intent.
The Finnish authorities alleged that Mr. Ekpa used social media platforms to spread
separatist propaganda, incite violence and encourage illegal actions, which had caused
significant disruptions in the South-East of Nigeria. Finnish investigators had also linked
him to incidents of violence in Nigeria, which were believed to had been fueled by his
online activities.
The statement said “the arrest of Mr. Simon Njoku Ekpa follows sustained diplomatic
pressure by the Nigerian government on Finland, to take action against his activities,
which were linked to violence and instability in the South-East of Nigeria. The request
for action featured during high level engagements between countries.”
The Ministry stated that the arrest of Ekpa, is a significant development in addressing the activities of IPOB, and also neutralizing the influence of transnational actors and “their impact on our national security.”
The Ministry promised to continue to monitor the legal proceedings and provide further updates as the case progresses.
FG Confirms Arrest of Simon Ekpa
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