FG conveys 1,890 passengers from Kaduna airport in four days

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The Ministry of Transportation yesterday said it has conveyed 1,890 passengers by road in the first four days of diversion of flight operations from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to Kaduna Airport.

Statistics from the office of the Minister of State for Aviation indicated that 28 passengers were transported on the first day of the arrival of Ethiopian Airlines, while 589, 695 and 578 were conveyed on the second, third and the fourth days respectively.

A statement by the Director of Publicity and Press in the ministry, James Odaudu, said 458 passengers were transported to Kaduna, while 1,426 passengers were conveyed to Abuja on the return journey.

“The figure is expected to go up this new week due to the rising awareness among passengers,” the statement said.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mU4gUQ

Panic sale, as CBN set to pump in additional $350m

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CBN building

Forex traders have been set on panic button, as news filtered in that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will this weekend, further pump more dollars into the foreign exchange market in continuation of its strategy to strengthen the value of the Naira.

According a source in the apex the Bank, there is a planned release of an additional $350m bringing the total to $570m in this week alone to further crash the value of the Dollar.

Already, there are heightened fears among traders and other market participants, who are yet to recover from the losses of the last two weeks owing to sharp and sudden appreciation of the Naira.

Acting Director, Corporate communications, Isaac Okorafor, who confirmed this development, reiterated that with improving reserve levels, the Bank was determined to continuously make forex available to all genuine customers through their banks, advising those hoarding the greenback to reduce their losses by selling their dollar stock.

Market watchers, say there is the likelihood of a liquidity glut, as banks are beginning to send out salespeople to scout for customers to buy off their dollars in an effort to avoid losses arising from the expected further appreciation of the naira.

The CBN has in the last one week supplied a total of $570m to the market made up of $80m for PTA, Medical fees and school fees, $100m in wholesale forwards, while another $350m is planned for injection this weekend.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mlk3M1

PEFON honours professional ‘first ladies’ at induction

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Olutoyin Olusola Olakunri

Professional Excellence Foundation of Nigeria (PEFON), a body that celebrates first class professionals in all fields of professional endeavour, has honoured and inducted professional first ladies presidents of institutes and chosen careers.

The investiture ceremony, which held recently in Lagos, honoured living female legend of the institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria (ICAN) Mrs. Olutoyin Olusola Olakunri; first lady president of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) Barr. Juliet Adaobi Madubueze; first lady Director of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Mrs. Osaretin Afusat Demuren; first lady Real Admiral in the Nigerian Navy, Itunu Hotonu.

Others include first lady cabinet minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mrs. Adenike Oyagbola; first female civil service engineer and first female head of service of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Engr. Ebele Okeke; first female to hold a Ph.D in Engineering and first female structural engineer in Nigeria, Engr. Olatokunbo Somolu; first female town planner in Nigeria, Mrs. Catherine George and living legend of the Chartered Insurance of Nigeria (CIN), Mrs. Oluseyi Ifaturoti.

Speaking at the event, Founder and Chairman of Council, Dr. Dipo Bailey, noted that achieving excellence in any field entails giving up a lot and going through a lot of pains to excel in an environment plagued with corruption and malpractices. “We want to be able to identify those elders in the professions who have kept a gap, so that we can showcase them and tell Nigerians that no matter what it takes, there are still credible people and that is why we have honoured these phenomenal women. They have become the reservoir of knowledge for us and we hope to tap into it.”

Chairman, Board of Trustee Prince Julius Adelusi Adeluyi, however, noted that although there are good people in Nigeria, unfortunately, they are pushed to the back stream and so PEFON seeks to identify people who in very difficult environment still try to be professional. “They may not be wealthy, but they are happy giving service. Just as we have people who are good at the older generation level, there are many good young people who are coming up and need to be reassured that towing the path of ethical behaviour is right.”

Guest Speaker and first female Chartered Accountant in West Africa, Mrs. Olakunri said: “Significantly, fewer women today are choosing to stay at home because we no longer have to. I am pleased to see that there are proportionately more of us women out in the field today. While we do not yet have full agency in our work choices particularly in Africa, I can see that we are getting there.

“Nowadays, work and personal lives also tend to be much more fluid – ‘jobs for life’, where you would join an organization and retire 30 years later from the same organization, are no longer the norm. Today, the trend is towards work environments that value individualism, personal fulfillment and ‘work-life balance’. Individual needs and objectives are just as important as those of the organization. The challenge before women now is to keep pushing, until you have craved and even better model for work.”

Continuing Olakunri noted, “In my case, I firmly believe that a lot of success I have enjoyed in my career is rooted in the fact that I chose a professional career, which forced me to being organized and disciplined. It also gave me a distinct peer group against which I could judge my own accomplishment.” She however advised women to seek practical ways to help more women embrace professional careers as well as thrive.

Reacting to the honorary induction, Mrs. Oyagbola thanked the foundation for deeming it fit to remember them for their works while in active service. While reminiscing her time in active service as well as raising her kids.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lFNQew

PSI urges establishment of research fund to boost economic growth

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Peters Adeyemi. PHOTO: youtube.com

The Public Service International (PSI) has called for the establishment of research Fund by Nigeria with the sole aim of galvanizing resources for research efforts.

The President of PSI Africa, Peters Adeyemi, who stated this in interview with The Guardian in Abuja, explained that such Fund Such a body would participate in the monitoring and evaluation of research efforts for national growth.

He explained: “We have been calling for the establishing of a Fund that will focus sorely on the funding research efforts in the research institutions just the way Tetfund is established for the tertiary institutions. We said there is need to have special dedicated fund for research institutes so that they can provide grants to researchers to carry out research work. Such a body will also participate in the monitoring and evaluation of research efforts for national growth. Such efforts could also focus on particular areas of development that Nigerians can become global experts.”

He decried nonchalant attitude of the Federal Government to adequately fund research institutions which has created a choking atmosphere for research efforts to fester in the country.

“Government has not funded research institutes the way they ought to have been funded. Where atmosphere has not favoured researchers, there is no way we can get research works that will assist industries in a way that will boost the economic activities. We have canvassed over the years that there is the need for government to focus on research institutes so that the country can gain more from the result of research efforts,” he said.

Adeyemi, who is a deputy president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), submitted that the allegation that the products of the research institutions are not useful is an imagined problem.

His words: “Prior to recent history, Nigerian universities did very well ranking among the very best. In fact, some of the products of our universities are making waves across the world. The reason they are not making waves here depends on how the researcher are used. We had brain drain syndrome that was inflicted by the rejection of our products by ourselves. Where the products are used, the researchers are poorly remunerated. These guys, out of rejection, then look outside of the country for greener pastures. As we speak, how many industries are there working at the pace they are supposed to work that would attract the best of brains and be able to remunerate scholars adequately? Because of high level of inconsistency policies that we have had to contend with, many industries in our country are going down, as they are going down, the connection between ivory towers and industry is also disappearing.”

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mb0Rk1