Nation
Insecurity: Heed Counsel Of Statesmen, CNG Tells Buhari
Following the alarming insecurity in northern Nigeria, the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to heed the counsel of genuine statesmen instead of relying on those it called close-knit circle of family, friends and psychopaths.
They lamented that the North “has been abandoned at the mercy of a murderous insurgency, rampaging banditry, dare devil kidnappers and marauding rapists.”
These were contained in a letter to the President presented to Katsina State Governor, Hon Aminu Masari, when students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, were abducted.
According to the letter signed by BoT Chairman, Nastura Ashir Shariff, CNG said the millions of young people who followed the President with faith that his leadership will address their hopes and aspirations, have lost confidence in his ability or willingness.
The letter reads: ”It is worth recalling here that in 2015, Nigerian voters trusted you to lead our nation through and out of its limitations, into a future in which we will live secure lives and pursue livelihoods in a united Nigeria whose resources will be protected by leaders.
“The North in particular, voted you massively hoping for the possibility that we could look to a future without Boko Haram; that our young will get good education, acquire skills and get jobs; that corruption will be arrested, contained and eliminated. Unfortunately, five years afterwards, we regret to say that we celebrated what we presumed to be an end of poor governance and to leadership that run away from threats, much too early.
“Whereas the foundations of a nation are rooted in the perceptions of citizens that its leaders can address at least their minimal needs which are security, for us in the North today, policing lives and livelihoods of communities is now a major problem. We make bold to remind Your Excellency that with security, we can feed ourselves and feed the rest of Nigeria, but when, as is the case today, threats to lives limit productive capacities, people are killed and kidnapped, herds are stolen or limited by hostile and damaging political interests, cost of living generally become prohibitive, the entire Northern viability suffers.
“The prevailing scenario in the North today is such that the general population feel genuinely betrayed and abandoned at the mercy of a murderous insurgency, rampaging banditry, dare devil kidnappers and marauding rapists with no sign of political will and capacity by your government to challenge them.
“This informs the audacity with which school children of Kankara Science Secondary School in Katsina were abducted in hundreds right under your nose. Heightening the concerns that top administration officials drive pecuniary interests in the general and pervasive insecurity that has been going on ceaselessly across the country, especially all over the North. This is confirmed by the trend of mobilizing and arming non-state actors against any attempt to find solutions to the deadly security situation as happened to the Security Review Meeting planned by the CNG in Kaduna recently.
“While we respectfully remind you of your primary responsibility for the protection of citizen’s lives, we regret to note however, that the current structure of the national security is not in any way serving that purpose. At this point, we wish to call your attention to the reality that the millions of young people who followed your campaign trails, pledging to you their unquestioning support and loyalty with full faith that your leadership will address their hopes and aspirations, have today lost confidence in your ability or willingness.
“Northerners today wonder how it has become possible to quickly forget the picture of hundreds of thousands who turned up in Maiduguri defying the threats of bombs and bullets, to register their faith and support for you; to forget adolescents and children who defied parents and security agents to catch a glimpse of a Buhari they had been brought up to believe had the solution to Nigeria’s problems. We conclude by reminding you that every leader shall ultimately be called by posterity to account for the manner he discharged the responsibility and trust saddled on him.
“In this regard we call your attention to the general feeling that neither you nor any official of your government is particularly having the slightest concern over the theft of the Katsina children and it will take much more than talking from the confines of the Villa to reclaim that lost public confidence.
“It is our hope that Your Excellency would begin to give listening ear more to the public and heed counsel from genuine statesmen and not concentrating attention to a handful of aides and close-knit circle of family, friends and psychopaths.
“Meanwhile Sir, we restate here that our willingness and commitment to sustain the struggle for a peaceful Northern Nigeria in the context of a nation that operates unencumbered by problems it should not live under will be sustained even in the face of severe challenges.”
The Executive Secretary of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Dr Chioma Ejikeme, has reiterated the commitment to service delivery for pensioners.
Ejikeme said this during the Customer Service Week in Abuja, yesterday.
He said that commission had a mandate to deliver good service delivery to the pensioners.
Ejikeme, who was represented by the Director Civil Service Pension Department, Mr Kabir Yusuf, said that the customer service week was important to operations of PTAD.
“Customer service is the support that you give to a customer, whether it is an existing customer or potential customer in the process of delivering or making enquires about a service.
“To be a good customer service representative you need to be knowledgeable, have good attitude and attribute especially to the senior citizens and have empathy,” he said.
Ejikeme said that all PTAD staff had most of the attributes of a good customer representative.
“We provide excellent customer service by going to verify our aged pensioners who cannot do it by themselves anywhere across the country.
“There is a dedicated team that was mandated to go round to confirm the aliveness of those who can not confirm their aliveness either because the are too old or have health issues,” the executive secretary said.
The National Coordinator, SERVICOM, Mrs Nnenna Akajemeli, said that the official theme of the 2024 customer service week was “ We Go Above and Beyond For Our Customers.”
She commended PTAD and the SERVICOM team for organising the 2024 customer service week.
“This is in line with the best practice of celebrating frontline workers and service takers.
“Customer service week is celebrated annually during the first full week in October.
It calls attention to the importance of people to boost morale team work and departmental collaboration in supporting pensioners.
“ It is a platform to reward employees for the significant work they do,” Akajemeli said.
She said that the objective of the customer service week was to celebrate the hard work and dedication of employee who strived to create positive customer experiences.
She said that it was time to show customers that the organisation valued their experience and feedback, through comment cards, dedicated hotline, among others.
Akajemeli said that it raised awareness internally and externally about the importance of good customer service in building customer loyalty and satisfaction.
She said that the benefit was to increase motivation, show appreciation, encourage friendly competition, boost employee retention, create a positive workplace and increase productivity.
The Head, Surveillance Department at the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Mr Abdulrahman Saleem, said that good service delivery was the key success of every establishment.
Salem said that PTAD operated with standard, considering the success it had achieved so far.
Saleem said that pensioners required the best service attitude and behavior.
“ I give kudos to PTAD for its efforts and encourage it to do more.
“Therefore I urge PTAD staff to keep up the standard and continue to give good service to the pensioners,” he said.
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has honoured Flying Officer David Sangokoya for winning the 2023/2024 Royal Air Force College Cranwell International Cadet Sword of Honour.
Abubakar honoured the officer during the presentation of cheques to 13 beneficiaries of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Group Personal Accident Insurance Policy (GPAIP) in Abuja, yesterday.
He described the achievement as ground-breaking as it was the first time an African cadet had won the prestigious award since the Academy’s creation over 100 years ago.
According to him, the feat underscores the excellence that exists within NAF, and proof that NAF officers and cadets can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world.
“To our awardee, you have set a new standard, not just for your peers, but for every cadet and officer that will come after you.
“This accomplishment is a powerful reminder that no goal is out of reach when one is armed with dedication, discipline and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
“Your journey as an officer has begun with this prestigious accolade, but the true measure of your success will be seen in how you serve, lead and contribute to the mission of NAF and the defence of our great nation.
“As we celebrate this historic occasion, we extend our deepest gratitude to the United Kingdom Government for its unwavering support in providing world-class training opportunities to our personnel.
“This has enabled our officers and men to gain invaluable skills and knowledge, strengthening not only our bilateral ties but also our collective ability to address global security challenges,” he said.
The CAS said that the NAF looked forward to continuing the fruitful partnership for the mutual benefit of Nigeria and UK countries.
He expressed gratitude and unflinching loyalty to President Bola Tinubu for his commitment to the welfare and training of members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, and NAF in particular.
“I must also take a moment to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the leadership of the Nigerian Defence Academy and the instructors who helped to mould and prepare this cadet for the global stage.
“Their dedication and commitment to developing top-notch officers is evident in this ground-breaking achievement.
“You have not only trained a leader but have given the Nigerian Air Force a legacy we will all cherish,” he said.
National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has advocated private sector involvement to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system.
The Director-General of the authority, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, made the call at a high-level policy dialogue on sustainable health system reforms in Nigeria in Abuja, yesterday.
The Tide’s source reports that the dialogue was organised by the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN), a coalition of private sector stakeholders, to address the multifaceted challenges plaguing the country’s healthcare system.
The dialogue has “Private Sector Support for SWAP (Sector Wide Approach) in Healthcare” as its theme.
Represented by Dr Yakubu Agada-Amade, the NHIA Director of Standards and Quality Assurance, Ohiri explained the crucial role of private sector collaboration in strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system
He highlighted the “One Plan” under the SWAp framework, which seeks to unify health sector efforts, ensuring efficient resource use, effective governance and expanded healthcare access.
He also stressed the importance of overcoming barriers that historically hindered the implementation of healthcare interventions in Nigeria, such as inadequate financing, weak governance systems, and bureaucratic bottlenecks.
He added that “the dialogue explored innovative approaches, including digital health innovations and financing mechanisms to accelerate the implementation of the National Health Act and mandatory health insurance coverage.
“With enrollment in health insurance growing by 14 per cent over the past year, NHIA can push for greater inclusivity, particularly targeting the informal sector through flexible payment systems and partnerships with telecommunications companies.”
He called for stronger synergy between public and private health actors to ensure universal access to quality healthcare and sustainable reforms in line with the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).
Panelists from the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP), Healthcare Providers Association of Nigeria (HCPAN) and Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria (HMCAN) echoed the sentiments, underscoring the private sector’s role in expanding insurance coverage and improving healthcare delivery.
They commended NHIA’s efforts toward driving reforms to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp).
