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Women CEOs form Coalition to Advance Women’s Economic Empowerment in Nigeria
Women CEOs form Coalition to Advance Women’s Economic Empowerment in Nigeria
By: Michael Mike
Women CEOs and relevant stakeholders have met in Lagos to form a coalition to address the gender disparity in access to economic opportunities in Nigeria and to advance women’s economic empowerment.
The coalition, according to a statement by United Nations Women on Tuesday, has one goal, make life better for women and girls by pushing for improved implementation of economic policies that will enhance women’s access to public and private procurement as well as income generating opportunities.
Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of female entrepreneurs in the world, yet women-owned businesses do not secure procurement contracts, suggesting systematic gender disparities in the procurement systems of both government and private sector organisations.
The statement added that the consensus on the positive correlation between gender equality and the socio-economic environment of a country calls for incentives to ensure equal opportunities for women entrepreneurs and their male counterparts, for instance in the form of preferential treatment for marginalized groups when it comes to procurement of goods and services.
According to the statement, the UN Women is doing this under auspices of the project: Women’s Economic Empowerment through Affirmative Procurement Reform in West and Central Africa, with funding from African Development Bank and Women’s Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (WeFi), aimed at improving women’s economic empowerment through enhanced opportunities of women-led businesses to access public procurement and corporate supply chains.
The statement explained that the project was designed as a catalyst to support enabling environment for women to work and be financially independent as well as enhance capacities of government officials to formulate and implement gender responsive policies, noting that gender-responsive policies are crucial to achieving sustainable development, as they enable women and girls to participate fully in and benefit equally from socioeconomic opportunities, address the underlying causes of vulnerability including gender inequality.
The statement said in line with UN Women’s coordination mandate, and as part of project exit strategy, the coalition will work with existing state institutions to push for approval of the state policies, monitor government interventions and promote the economic rights of women entrepreneurs in the state. Also the coalition would be expected to push for the domestication of available legal frameworks that support women’s economic empowerment in the state. The coalition will in turn serve as key connectors to government and businesses and help to create a strong enabling environment for civil society organizations, democracy, and the rights of citizen action and participation.
UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Beatrice Eyong,, who was represented by Women’s Economic Empowerment Specialist for UN Women,
Chukwuemeka Onyimadu,, stated that, “According to the National Policy on Women’s Economic Empowerment, 30% of all public procurement opportunities should be reserved for women-owned and women-led businesses”. However, this has not been realized due to socio-economic challenges.
Leading women CEOs and representatives of women associations including WISCAR, WIMBIZ, ANWBN, AWE, AWP, WACCIMA, JONAPED and others participated in the strategic meeting, including the Director General of Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, Fatai Onafowote.
Mr. Onafowote reiterated that Lagos State is committed to improving women’s access to pubic procurement.
Women CEOs form Coalition to Advance Women’s Economic Empowerment in Nigeria
Career Progression Courses Are Now Mandatory for Promotion in NSCDC, Insists Audi
By: Michael Mike
The Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr. Ahmed Audi has announced that henceforth, career progression courses are now mandatory prerequisites for the promotion of personnel in the agency.
The Commandant General disclosed this in a keynote address he delivered at this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the NSCDC Cooperative and Investment Society at the National Headquarters, Abuja.
He maintained that all the NSCDC training institutions are given a new phase lift and training curricular for all cadres developed, and currently awaiting full implementation.
The CG also announced that his administration is committed to ending stagnation in the Corps for personnel on grade level 14 and below; he explained that beneficiaries have been paid arrears and applauded President Bola Tinubu for all the support as he tasked Corps personnel to justify the gesture through hard work.
On the welfare of staff, the NSCDC helmsman, who is the grand patron of the society, commended the National Headquarters executive for their programmes in providing succour and palliative for members and warned that misappropriation of funds in the society won’t be condoned but sanctioned accordingly.
Speaking earlier, the President of NSCDC National Headquarters Cooperative Society Limited, Assistant Commandant of Corps, ACC Aina Oladeji Jones, expressed gratitude to the CG and Management team for all the support to the cooperative in their four-year tenure, citing the 90 houses completed and ongoing work in some at the Kuje Housing Estate.
Continuing, he said from a membership of 1500 the society is now over 1,800 and disclosed that a philanthropist has pledged to assist fund the Streamview Hotel and Resort Project to conclusion.
Other highlights of the AGM were the presentation of goodwill messages by a Deputy Director of FCT Cooperative, Segun Salako and a representative of Corrections Cooperative Multipurpose Limited, CSC Okechukwu Edward, as well as the presentation of cheques to retirement beneficiaries and next of kin of deceased NSCDC members who were in the Cooperative and Investment Society Limited.
Career Progression Courses Are Now Mandatory for Promotion in NSCDC, Insists Audi
News
Tunji-Ojo: We are Over 80,000 Passport Booklets in Reserve, Nigerians Need Not Entertain Fear of Delay in Issuance of Passport
Tunji-Ojo: We are Over 80,000 Passport Booklets in Reserve, Nigerians Need Not Entertain Fear of Delay in Issuance of Passport
By: Michael Mike
The Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has said Nigerians should not fear of delay in collection of international passport as at present there are over 80,000 passport booklets waiting to be issued.
The Minister, speaking at a media parley in Abuja on Friday, said in recent time the passport booklet in reserve have not gone below 50,000.
He said all backlogs of passports have been cleared, noting that the Nigeria Immigration Service, (NIS) no longer owe its service providers regarding printing and supply of passports.
Tunji-Ojo said: “We now have about 80,000 passports in stocks, both the 32 pages and the 70 pages.”
He promised that Nigerians in diaspora would henceforth enjoy seamless acquisition of passports, especially those in United States, Canada and United Kingdom, disclosing that this would come into effect as the Federal Government activates Automated Application system by October.
The Minister said: “Henceforth Nigerians in the diaspora would not need to travel from one country to another to obtained Passports, saying the era of wasting working hours, resources and risking their lives on long journey is gone.
“We are going to do a pre-launch of this automated systems very soon. And by October they will be fully operational. We have a situation in London where we have 16,000 Nigerians applying for Passports, and the capacity of our systems in the Embassy is about 200.
“But now that we have this systems in place, Nigerians would not have to embark on different journeys across the world for Passport acquisition,” Tunji-Ojo said.
Tunji-Ojo while justifying the increase in passports fees, said it is a matter of cost benefits analysis especially “when you look at the rate of dollar compared to naira”.
He also said the increase didn’t affect the cost of passports outside Nigeria, adding that the increase was only about 45 percent.
He noted that the government is not exploiting Nigerians but only increased to cover the cost of procurement of passports.
“If at all government should subsidize anything, I don’t think it should be passports. The increase is just from N35,000 to N50,000 naira. No increase outside Nigeria.”
Tunji-Ojo: We are Over 80,000 Passport Booklets in Reserve, Nigerians Need Not Entertain Fear of Delay in Issuance of Passport
Bobrisky: FG Suspends Senior Prison Officers
By: Michael Mike
The federal government has suspended some senior officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service over an allegation infractions raised by Idris Okuneye (alias Bobrisky)
A statement on Thursday by the Secretary, Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Board. Ja’afaru Ahmed read:
“Following the viral video trending on social media on alleged infractions by Officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service relating to Mr. Idris Okuneye, widely known as Bobrisky, the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board has suspended forthwith the following Senior Officers of the Service:
“Michael Anugwa, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC), In-Charge of Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Kiri-kiri, Lagos State; and
“Sikiru Adekunle, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC), In-Charge of Maximum-Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Kiri-kiri, Lagos State;
“Also, the Board has suspended ASC II Ogbule Samuel Obinna, serving at the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Afikpo, Ebonyi State, for allegedly accompanying a convicted inmate out of the Custodial Centre to a location outside the facility.”
In another related development, the Board has equally suspended another Senior Officer of the Service, Iloafonsi Ikechukwu, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC), In-Charge of Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Kuje- Abuja, for allegedly receiving monies on behalf of an inmate.
Ahmed said: “The suspension of these Officers is to allow for further investigation on the various allegations while assuring that the outcome would be made public when concluded.”
Bobrisky: FG Suspends Senior Prison Officers
Career Progression Courses Are Now Mandatory for Promotion in NSCDC, Insists Audi
Tunji-Ojo: We are Over 80,000 Passport Booklets in Reserve, Nigerians Need Not Entertain Fear of Delay in Issuance of Passport
Bobrisky: FG Suspends Senior Prison Officers
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