Minister Charges Occupational Safety And Health Association To Promote Safety Awareness In Nigeria The Minster of State for Works and Housing, Hon. Umar Ibrahim El- Yakub, has charged the Occupational Safety and Health Association to be committed and dedicated to creating awareness and promoting the importance of safety at the work place and homes in Nigeria. He made this charge while declaring open the 12th International Occupational Safety and Health Association Conference and Awards event which held at the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing Headquarters, Abuja. The theme of the conference was "A Partnership that Works: The Role of Stakeholders Towards Safety in the Workplace." Hon. El-Yakub said, " I encourage your dedication and commitment to promoting safety in the region and I have no doubts that through your deliberations at the 12th conference, the great work you have been doing in the country over the years will be reinforced and strengthened." The Minister noted that the conference was very significant because it would be an avenue to discuss practical solutions and partnerships that could work for the safety and benefit of all in the private and public sectors in the country. El-Yakub explained that the Ministry has put in place an active and robust workplace safety and health team to oversee and promote this important aspect of our lives in the work environment. Responding on behalf of other new Fellows and Awardees, the Minister expressed gratitude for the decoration and Award received. He assured the Association of their commitment to contribute to the safety awareness and practice in Nigeria. In his remarks the President of the Nigeria Region of the Association, HRH, Dr.Olusegun Aderemi, noted that the issue of safety should be a precondition which must dominate the discourse when designing policies guiding   operational  procedures  at work places. Dr. Aderemi explained that due to the increase in the number of work related hazards, risks and fatalities that occur due to human errors, the association has now decided to organize this conference where favorable outcomes  that would lead to practical and actionable steps to curb these fatalities  could be achieved. The Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Sen. Babafemi Ojodu, stated that though   government was expected to show a clear commitment on health and safety in the country, the private sector being the major employer of labour should also inculcate health, safety environment and best practices across every segment of their operations. Speaking further he said that Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, on the other hand, should also understand that compliance with safety best practices alongside the installation of safety instruments within their facilities would not only help address incidents when they occur but will at the same time save them the cost that would have been incurred from such disasters. In his goodwill message, the Minister of Environment, Barrister Abdullahi Mohammed who was represented by an officer from the Ministry, Mrs. Chika Okpalaka, enjoined the public to adopt environmental and health tips in the working environment such as: i. Conduct risk assessment to identify hazards and implement effective risk control measures. ii. Make sure the work environment is safe. iii. Develop and implement systems for dealing with emergences. iv. Ensure workers are provided with sufficient instructions, training and supervisors so that they can work safely. Professor George Genyi, from the Federal University, Nasarawa,  in his paper titled, "The need for Partnership for all"  noted that collaborating with Royal Fathers to promote safety was commendable because issues of safety and security were  the responsibilities of  everyone. Highlights of the occasion were:  decoration of some Eminent Nigerians as Fellows and Grand Patron of the Association as well as presentation of plaques of the Honorary Fellow of the Association to them. The Awardees included: the Minister of State for Works and Housing, Hon. Umar Ibrahim El- Yakub, the Ministers of Defence, Environment and the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani  Aliyu, the Estu Nupe, H.R.H. Alhaji Abubakar Yahaya was decorated as the Grand Patron of the Association. In addition, the kid’s safety book, tagged, "Amanda, The Smart Safety Girl "was unveiled. The book, authored by an eight-year-old Zara C. Uwalaka, has 17 basic safety tips every child must know. It was a very successful and colourful event that was well attended. ...

Critical Road Interventions Is To Support Education- Fashola ...This unique internal road will remain evergreen in our minds- VC The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, CON has said that the Federal Government through the Ministry of Works and Housing's intervention in the construction of the nation's tertiary institutions internal roads is government's commitment of improving the human condition and a critical intervention to support education. The Minister made the remarks at the official handover of the 1.2 kilometre internal road at the University of Uyo,  Akwa Ibom State. The Honourable Minister, represented by the Federal Controller of Works in Akwa Ibom State, Engineer Gabriel Akinwande said that with the reconstruction of the internal road at the University of Uyo and other universities, the gap of the nation's infrastructural needs was steadily being bridged by a gradual process of repairs, renewal and construction on major highways as well as in schools. Speaking on the impact of the newly reconstructed roads and the quality of education, the Minister said: "It is unbeatable that quality of education will be impacted on by the quality of these infrastructure and the learning environment and that those who doubt it should simply listen to some of the feedbacks from students in the schools where this type of intervention has taken place." From the feedback gathered so far, Mr. Fashola said students are now expressing renewed enthusiasm with regards to attending classes because some defective roads have been restored to good condition. On his part, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Uyo, Professor Nyaudor Ndaeyo commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, CON, saying that these internal roads were unique gifts to them and the university and also that it will remain evergreen in their memory. "The entire University community are very happy for this commissioning and handing over of these roads today. It will no doubt enhance the socio- economic life of members of the community," he said. Commending President Muhammadu Buhari, the VC said they are very grateful and would continue to display their unalloyed loyalty and support to his administration. In varied interview sessions with some students, hear their comments:  Master Sito Abasi, a Law student of the institution, Miss Okiyi Grace and Lawrence Okieji of the institution all agreed unanimously that the hitherto poor condition of the roads posed serious impediments, if not death traps to both staff and students of the institution. Speaking on behalf of other students, Sito Abasi thanked President Buhari and the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing for the timely completion of the road projects which took just three months. "We are now happy because some time ago, we had suffered greatly because of the poor condition of these roads but this has become history now. We say thank you President Muhammadu Buhari," he said. On his part, the Dean of Environmental Studies, Professor Ephraim Edem commended the quality of the road projects saying that they are very impressed. " All eyes can now see that the roads have added value to the campus life and we do not have fear of rain causing impediment to our movement during the rainy season," he said. ...

Fashola proposes University Consultancy Services, Data Provision, Poll Results, Value Data, Printing Press for Tertiary Institutions as Alternative Sources of Funding The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN said, “University Consultancy Services, Data Provision, Poll Results, Value Data, Printing Press are value proposals for Tertiary Institutions" The Minister made the above remarks as a panellist at an event organised by Nigeria’s House of Representatives on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, held at a National Summit in Abuja on tertiary education with a view to providing solutions to challenges facing the sector with a   theme ‘Re-imagining Tertiary Education in Nigeria: Issues, Challenges and Solutions.’ Fashola also said " employees of government owned institutions who want to be autonomous is a big issue " He said Tertiary Education is on the concurrent list, meaning that States and Federal Governments can fund education in the country. Director General,  Budget Office of the Federation, Mr. Benjamin Akabueze while  making his remarks  said, ‘'There has to be a sustainable funding of tertiary education .We cant continue with  the current system because it is not working and not sustainable." Professor (Mrs.) Uduak Ekpo, Department of Education Administration & Planning, University of Calabar remarked at the event, “Budget and allocation for tertiary education should go up instead of going down. Nigeria's education budget remains among the poorest in Africa." She said if lecturers run away from their core mandate of academic’s excellence through research and teaching and go into business, funding of university, education will suffer. Director Centre for Gender and Women Studies University of Jos, Professor Irene Agunloye in her remarks said, “ Education is a commodity and if you do not build the capacity of people in academics there will not be  headway.“ She advised that some institutions  should be made research universities in order to generate more fund . Chairman / Chief Executive Officer Channels Media Group, Dr.John Momoh said "There is need for the Academic Staff Union of Universities and Federal Government to come to agreement till both sides are happy with the negotiation." Momoh also said that universities should look for a way of generating fund from alumni and to also look for a way of outsourcing of assets of universities in order to improve funding. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) led by its current President, Emmanuel Osodeke said “ The level of poverty in Nigeria would not allow  Nigerian students  to pay increased tutition fees.       ...