FG

The Federal Government has fired some civil servants with degrees from private tertiary institutions in Benin Republic and Togo, The PUNCH reports.

The directive affected federal workers who graduated from the institutions from 2017 to date.

The Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Segun Imohiosen, confirmed the development to one of our correspondents on Wednesday.

In August, the Federal August announced that only eight universities had been accredited to award degrees to Nigerians in Togo and Benin Republic.

This followed an undercover investigation report in which a Daily Nigerian journalist acquired a degree from a university in Benin Republic in two months and used it to participate in the National Youth Service Corps scheme.

Following the report, the government banned the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from tertiary institutions in Benin Republic and Togo.

The Federal Government also set up an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling to probe the activities of certificate racketeers.

The then Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, revealed that over 22,500 Nigerians obtained fake degree certificates from Benin Republic and Togo and such certificates would be cancelled.

Mamman explained that the revelation was part of a report submitted to the Federal Executive Council by the investigative committee instituted to probe degree certificate racketeering by foreign and local universities in Nigeria.

He insisted there was no going back on the Federal Government’s decision to cancel the about 22,500 certificates awarded to Nigerians by some “fake” universities in the two francophone countries.

Mamman maintained that the decision to invalidate the certificates was not harsh as Nigerians who obtained degree certificates from such tertiary institutions dent the country’s image.

He said, “Most of those parading the fake certificates didn’t even leave the shores of Nigeria but got their certificates through racketeering in collaboration with government officials at home and abroad.

“The fake universities capitalised on the gullibility of Nigerians patronising such fake schools. The Federal Government, through the offices of the Head of Civil Service and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, would fish out those in the government’s employment with such fake certificates. I also urge the private sector to follow suit.”

Although the exact number of affected civil servants could not be ascertained, it was gathered that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (Cabinet Affairs) had issued a memo to all the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to implement the order.

A source, who pleaded anonymity because she was not authorised to speak on the matter, disclosed that the sacking of the affected workers was based on the inter-ministerial committee’s recommendation.

The official stated, “There was a letter from the SGF cabinet affairs directing all ministries, departments and agencies of government to identify and terminate the appointments of workers employed with certificates obtained from the private universities in the Republic of Benin and Togo from 2017 to date.

“The decision is part of the recommendations of the committee set up to investigate the certificates of people who graduated from the universities.”

Our correspondent also gathered that some agencies like the National Youth Services Corps have commenced the implementation of the directive.

The NYSC Director of Information, Caroline Embu, confirmed to our correspondent that five members of staff had been sacked in line with the SGF’s directive.

She said, “Five members of staff were affected by the directive contained in the letter from the office of the SGF. No more.”

Source: The Punch

The federal government has launched free Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) bus rides in Abuja to alleviate the effects of fuel subsidy removal on residents.

The initiative, which began on Thursday, November 28, 2024, will run until January 6, 2025.

The buses are operating along major routes from suburbs such as Mararaba to Eagle Square, Berger Bus Stop, and Area 1, as well as Zuba.

According to reports from the President Bola Tinubu’s Media Center, plans are underway to expand the project to inter-state commuter services to further ease transportation challenges for Nigerians.

The Nigerian government has announced plans to partner with the private sector to address the $10 billion funding gap required to overhaul the country’s power sector in the next five to ten years.

This move was confirmed after a meeting between the Director General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, and the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo A. Adelabu, in Abuja on Tuesday.

Dr Ewalefoh stressed the critical role of the private sector in revitalising the power sector. “The investment required in power is very huge and government cannot fund it alone, so we have to leverage the financing capacity of the private sector. That is why the ICRC was set up to regulate this leverage,” he said.

He highlighted that while the government has a vital role, only private-sector collaboration can bring the required capital and expertise.

The Minister of Power echoed these concerns, underscoring the immense investment needed for a stable electricity supply.

“For us to achieve 24-hour power supply across Nigeria in the next 5 to 10 years, there is a minimum funding requirement of about $10 billion. The government cannot afford that, when there are other critical sectors in need of funding. We need to do this in collaboration with the private sector, and the best way is through concession,” Adelabu explained.

Both officials agreed that optimising current infrastructure performance and financing new projects would necessitate close collaboration between public and private entities.

To facilitate this, the ICRC, responsible for regulating public-private partnerships (PPP), is set to streamline the processes involved.

Dr Ewalefoh outlined a six-point policy to accelerate project delivery and prevent delays caused by underprepared companies.

To reassure stakeholders about the integrity of the process, Dr Ewalefoh also discussed the commission’s measures to ensure accountability.

“We are insisting on inserting conditions precedent to all PPP agreements so that any preferred bidder that defaults will have their agreement automatically nullified,” he affirmed.

This initiative marks a significant step toward revitalising Nigeria’s power sector and improving electricity supply nationwide.

The government hopes to unlock foreign direct investment by leveraging private sector investment, stimulating economic growth, and providing Nigerians with consistent, reliable power in the coming years.