Operators want centre retained

NAN-H-63

Centre

Abuja, Feb. 1, 2008 (NAN) Some

operators at the One Stop Investment

Centre (OSIC) today in Abuja said the

federal government should sustain the

centre.

OSIC, an initiative of the federal government,

was established in 2006 to coordinate and

provide one stop services to investors by

parastatal agencies.

The agencies are Corporate Affairs

Commission, Nigeria Immigration Service,

Federal Inland Revenue Service, National

Office for Technology, Acquisition and

Promotion.

Others are CBN, Federal Ministry of Finance,

Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON),

Federal Capital Territory Administration, NIS

and NIPC.

Some desk officers at the centre told the

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the

present administration and the public should

be enlightened on the activities of the centre.

Centre -- 2

Alhaji Ishiaku Hamad, the Deputy Comptroller

of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), said

that the scheme had greatly helped investors

in fast tracking their investment process.

``The scheme has been of tremendous

assistance to investors, but if the present

government is not well informed about it,

there could be a policy summersault,'' he

told NAN.

He said through the centre, the immigration

had been able to reduce the bottlenecks

usually associated with obtaining business

permits and approval of expatriate quota.

He said the agency had also helped to

facilitate the entry visas for investors who

had hitherto faced administrative

bottlenecks, especially fresh applications.

Centre -- 3

``Normally, it takes three months to get the

green card but within the OSIC it takes not

more than three weeks, the expatriate quota

that used to take two to three months now

takes 48 hours,'' he said.

The desk officer of the National Bureau of

Statistics (NBS), Mr Bertram Azuwuike, also

stressed the need for public enlightenment

on the advantages of OSIC.

He, however, suggested that investors that

commenced operations in the country through

the OSIC window should be closely monitored.

``The agencies can help NIPC to monitor their

activities, to know if they are meeting the

objectives of OSIC and the challenges they

are facing,'' he said. (NAN)

GY/KUA/HKO

===========








Corps member renovates

clinic in Gombe

NAN-H-64

Renovation

Gombe, Feb.1, 2008 (NAN) Dr

Charles Michael, a youth corps

member in Gombe, has renovated

and equipped a veterinary clinic

there at the cost of N200,000.

Michael said at the inauguration

of the project today in Gombe

that the amount was spent on

painting, provision of chairs

and surgical tables in the clinic.

The corps member said the clinic

was in a dilapidated state before

the renovation.

According to him, the surgical room

in the clinic has been "under lock

and key" for 15 years.

Renovation -- 2

Michael said he was hopeful that

the facelift given the clinic would

encourage workers to work harder.

He explained that he was moved to

undertake the project, because

the state produced over 500,000

cattle annually, yet its veterinary

services were poor.

In his speech, the NYSC Zonal

Inspector in Gombe, Mr Momoh

Nasiru, thanked the community for

accommodating and assisting

the corps member. (NAN)

SMO/ASH/KAY/ODI

==============


DPR closes 43 filling stations

NAN-H-65

Closure

Kaduna, Feb. 1, 2008 (NAN) The

Department of Petroleum Resources

(DPR) has closed a total of 43 filling

stations in Kaduna, Katsina and

Zamfara States.

Briefing newsmen today in Kaduna,

DPR Zonal PRO Mohammed Bulama

said the department closed the stations

in January alone while visiting 270

stations in the three states.

He said out of the 43 filling stations

shut, 22 were found selling petroleum

products between N72 per litre and

N80 per litre, while 17 diverted the

products meant for their stations.

Bulama said four filling stations were

closed for selling products in drums

and other containers.

They were also found to be hoarding

products in large quantities as well

as engaging in other unwholesome

practices, he said.

Closure -- 2

``The DPR laboratory collected some

samples of petroleum products, analysed

them and discovered an off-specification

kerosine lifted from a southern part of

the country's depot.

``The kerosine was sent back for

decanting and re-blending,'' he said.

Bulama advised Nigerians to report any

suspected cases of pump delivery

adjustment, hoarding, diversion or any

form of cheating by petroleum products

marketers to the department.

On monitoring of the stations, Bulama

said the department had insufficient

staff to carry out effective monitoring.

Closure -- 3

He added that it would soon establish

offices in the states to ensure stations'

strict compliance to its guidelines.

According to him, any stations built

without DPR's approval will not be

licensed.

Bulama said dilapidated filling stations

would also have their licenses revoked

to ensure safety of lives and property.

(NAN)

IM/YEMI/EU

=======


Minister calls for effective urban

planning

NAN-H-66

Planning

Abuja, Feb.1, 2008 (NAN) The Minister

of Environment, Housing and Urban

Development , Mrs Halima Alao, today

in Abuja called for effective action on

urban development and planning.

Alao made the call at a seminar on

``How to access grants for urban

renewal and slum upgrading''

organised by united cites and local

governments of Africa in collaboration

with UN Habitat.

She said projects that were meant to

address urban poverty and the

challenge of the slum must aim at

more than increasing the availability of

affordable houses and physical

services.

`` To succeed, urban improvement

project must be strategic, inclusive and

holistic with success measured in

terms of improved social equity,

sustainable overall development

of cities and involvement of all stake

holders.

Planning -- 2



``The marginalised and more

vulnerable members of the society

should also be considered, only then

can cities move from having improved

slums to becoming cities without

slums,'' she said.

She called for the collaboration of the

developing and funding partners, the

private sectors, NGOs, individuals

and stakeholders in the quest good

urban planning.

She urged the forum to make

contributions that would support the

united cities and local governments of

Africa and UN Habitat in their drive for

higher achievement especially in slum

upgrading.

Sen. Sahabi Ya'u, the senate committee

chairman on local government said the

senate was out to achieve the aims and

objectives of the states and local

governments.

Planning -- 3

``Slum condition challenges the spirit

of man as all have a role to play in the

elimination of slum, the senate in its

effort will also contribute in their own

way for its upgrading'', he said.

In his presentation, Prof. Johnson

Falade, the UN Habitat Manager said 71

per cent of people living in the urban

areas live in slum.

He linked the problem of urban

development to not placing urban

issues on national, regional and

international agenda.

``Slums are most visible dimensions of

urban poverty, the MDG goal 7, target

10 and 11 aimed at improving the

lives of millions of people living in slum

by 2020 but its pace is not encouraging, ''

he said.

Planning -- 4

Falade said the seminar aims at

sensitisation, capacity building, action

plan and extending partnership

with all involved in the upgrading of

slum in Nigeria.

Earlier, the chairman of the occasion

Gen. Muhammed Inua (rtd) said the

seminar is aimed at exposing the

participants to so many aspects of

improving the standard of living of

their people at the grassroots.

``The seminar will identify challenges

associated with mobilising funds to

finance urban infrastructure and

services, he said.

State commissioners, local

government executives and civil

society organisations, attended the

forum. (NAN)

ENO/CNO/IEA/ACN

===============






Mark urges multinationals to be responsive

to communities' development

NAN-H-67

Challenge

Abuja, Feb. 1, 2008 (NAN)Senate

President David Mark today in Abuja

charged oil companies to be responsive

to the development needs of their host

communities

Mark gave the challenge when he

received members of the Akwa

Ibom State Cooperative Fisheries

Association.

He berated multinational corporations

for their indifference toward the plight

of their host communities.

Earlier, the leader of the association,

Mr Jeremiah Essien, had complained

about the failure of Mobil Producing

Company to pay compensation for

the damage caused by oil spillage in

the state.

Challenge -- 2

He said that the spillage had destroyed

the people's farmlands and their fishing

activities.

He urged the Senate President to use

his good offices to prevail on Mobil to

pay them N2.6 billion compensation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

reports that major oil firms operating

in the Niger Delta Area have often

been accused of neglecting their host

communities, whose environment has

suffered appreciable degradation due

to the firms' activities.

The neglect by the firms has often

led to agitation of the host communities

and youth groups. (NAN)

SIA/DCU/OOK

===========




2.6 billion people in developing world

lack sanitation --- Report

NAN-H-68

Sanitation

Abuja, Feb. 1, 2008 (NAN) About 2.6 billion

people in the developing world are yet to

have access to improved sanitation, a UN

report has stated.

The report, obtained by the News Agency

of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja today, said that

980 million of the figure were children

under 18 years.

The UN declared 2008 the International

Year of Sanitation (IYS) in recognition of

its importance to the overall achievement

of the MDGs.

The objective of IYS, the report said, is

``to put the global community on track to

achieve the sanitation MDG through

advocacy and awareness building''.

The report stressed the need to increase

awareness and commitment of stakeholders

at all levels.

Sanitation -- 2

They include governments, financial

institutions, service providers, major

groups, private sectors and UN

agencies via rapid collaboration.

According to the report,the IYS also

intends to secure real commitments to

develop effective action to scale up

sanitation programmes and strengthen

sanitation policies.

It would also encourage demand-driven,

sustainable solutions and informed choices

by recognising the importance of working

with practitioners and communities.

It is expected that human and institutional

capacity will be developed and strengthened.

Sanitation -- 3

The report said that the observance of

the year would ``promote and capture

learning to enhance evidence-based and

knowledge on sanitation which will greatly

contribute to the advocacy in the sector''.

The report noted that sanitation had great

impact on health, economic investment,

social development as well as the

environment.

``Poor hygiene and lack of access to toilet

account for 1.5 million diarrhoea-related

under-five deaths each year.

``Improved sanitation has positive impacts

on economic growth and poverty reduction.

Sanitation -- 4

``Every dollar spent on improved sanitation

generates an average of economic benefit of 9.1

dollars'' it said, adding that ``improved disposal

of human waste protects the quality of

drinking water sources''.

It further said: ``Each year more than

200 million tonnes of human waste go

uncollected and untreated around the world,

fouling the environment and exposing

millions to people to disease and poverty.''

It said that the estimated 9.5-billion-dollar

annual cost to halve the proportion of people

without sanitation by 2015 was ``modest and

affordable''.

``If sustained, the same investment could

achieve basic sanitation for the entire world

within one or two decades,'' the report said.(NAN)

CIA/NKO/HKO

============
UN's Ban support Kenya peace drive

NAN-F-26

Violence

Nairobi, Feb. 1, 2008 (Reuters/NAN) UN

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, is today in Kenya

to support to diplomatic efforts to end a

month of post-poll turmoil.

He urged Kenyans to immediately stop violence

that has killed 850 people.

But in comments sure to upset the opposition,

President Mwai Kibaki accused rivals of

instigating the bloodshed and told them

again to challenge his disputed re-election in

court.

Ban met negotiating teams for Kibaki and

opposition leader Raila Odinga trying to reach a

deal to end the crisis.

"What is important at this time is to maintain

peace and security," he told reporters.

Violence -- 2

"The killing must stop. You have lost already

too much in terms of national image, economic

interest, you lost many tourists.

"This is unfortunate for a country that has been

enjoying freedom and stability," Ban said.

Leaders at the AU summit in Ethiopia are also

demanding urgent action.

Ban flew in from Addis Ababa for a one-day visit

intended to bolster mediation led by his

predecessor Kofi Annan.

Violence -- 3

Kenya descended into political and ethnic

killing after Kibaki's disputed re-election in a

Dec. 27 poll.

More than 300,000 Kenyans are living as

refugees.

Odinga says Kibaki stole the vote, while Kibaki

says he is the legitimately elected leader.

International observers said the count was so

chaotic it was impossible to tell who won.

(Reuters/NAN)

HTH

==

*