Nation
Ex-Envoy Wants FG To Stage Reconciliation Conference, Oct
A former Nigerian envoy, Dr Nnamdi Onochie, has advised the Federal Government to stage a truth, peace and reconciliation conference of Nigeria’s ethnic nationalities in October, to douse tensions nationwide.
In a statement he released in Abuja yesterday, Onochie, a notable peace campaigner and elder statesman, said the conference should be staged soonest to tackle rising political tensions and curb violence, including recurring abductions of school children.
Expressing his concern in what he tagged: “Urgent Open Letter to the Federal, States and Other Levels of Government’’, the former diplomat expressed worry over “the drumbeats of war and disintegration’’ as Nigeria gets set for another general elections in 2023.
He said that endless violence, wickedness and kidnapping of innocent Nigerians, including kids had made it imperative for opinion leaders in the country to discuss the problems openly and frankly to sustain Nigerian unity and peace.
“The conference will draw the roadmap for devolution of powers and other issues in the country before the general elections in 2023,’’ he said, noting that dialogue was the magic wand to resolving all conflicts.
Onochie, who is also a chieftain of the PDP called on Nigerians, irrespective of parties, religious and ethnic affiliations to put down their differences and allow peace to reign, to build a strong and united nation.
He re-stated his appeal to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), to address the root causes of the problems currently bedeviling the country, especially the issues of perceived marginalisation and social injustice.
“The persistent calls for secession and agitations for self-determination by some ethnic nationalities show that the ship of state may be currently adrift and requires concerted stabilisation and fortification.
“Government at all levels, especially the Federal Government, needs to dedicate greater financial resources to reduce the cost of living, hunger, hardship and eliminate social wickedness such as killing and butchering of Nigerians for body-part sales by fellow Nigerians.
“Our country today is highly divided along ethnic, social and religious lines, this should not be. So the APC should urgently tackle the issues by finding a middle ground for discussion as a way forward.”
The former commissioner for special duties in Delta, said it had become clear that Nigeria was on precipice with arms-bearing non-state actors menacingly over-running state institutions and eroding Nigeria’s sovereignty.
“If I were the president of Nigeria, I will find a middle ground to end all the agitations for secession, religious extremism, inhumanity and other crippling issues holding down our country from year to year.
“My proposal to the Federal Government is to ensure that staging of the dialogue doesn’t go beyond October this year, and participants should include top government functionaries, leaders of political parties, national assembly members, business leaders, traditional rulers and civil society groups, among others.
Onochie, who has disclosed his intention to vie for the presidential slot in 2023 also advised the Federal Government to take urgent steps to tackle “looming hunger and hopelessness in the country’’ and to address rising cost of living.
He also re-stated his warning to government to desist from seeking additional foreign loans for Nigeria, to prevent the country from being given conditions or prescriptions by external institutions that would worsen prevail human conditions in the country.
Onochie, however, pleaded with Nigerians to give their unalloyed support to government in its current efforts to make Nigeria to rise to greatness and be the envy of other nations in the global community.
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).
