The Federal
Government has declared Wednesday as public holiday to commemorate the maiden
National Democracy Day.
This was contained
in a statement released by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior,
Georgina Ehuriah. The Federal government congratulated Nigerians at home
and abroad for the entrenchment of democratic rule in the country.
The Permanent
Secretary called on Nigerians to continue to cherish the sacrifice made by
heroes of democracy, particularly those who lost their lives in the struggle
for the actualisation of democratic governance in the country.
Social Workers chide NASS, warn Buhari against assenting Chartered
Institute of Social Work Practitioners Bill
The Nigeria
Association of Social Workers (NASoW), the umbrella body of all Social Workers
in Nigeria, has kicked against the substitution of “Nigeria Council for Social
Work [Establishment] Bill 2019”, the bill which seeks to regulate the
profession of Social Work in Nigeria, for Chartered Institute of Social Work
Practitioners Bill from the Institute of Social Work of Nigeria (ISWON), by the
National Assembly.
NASoW, in a
statement signed by its National President, Alhaji Mashood Mustapha, copies of
which were made available to journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, on
Sunday, by the Public Relations Officer of the association, Mr. Musliudeen
Adebayo, urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to sign any other bill aside the
Nigerian Council for Social Work Bill which will give total control of Social
Work profession in Nigeria to the Federal Government through the Federal
Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
We recall
that the Senate recently reconsidered the Nigeria Council for Social Work
(Establishment) Bill 2019 which is expected to be transmitted to President
Muhammadu Buhari for his assent. The bill has been in the National Assembly
since 2012 before
it was reconsidered and passed by the Senate on Wednesday 15th May 2019.
The bill had
earlier been passed by the Senate in 2017 after which it was rejected by
President Buhari in February 2018 due to some grey areas. The bill was sent
back to the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development for correction.
The areas
which made Buhari to reject the bill have been corrected with the support
of NASoW, ministries of Justice, Labour among others and the bill was taken
back to the Assembly for reconsideration.
But Mustapha, while
speaking, said that the association was surprised that the National Assembly,
instead of transmitting the original Nigeria Council for Social Work Bill to
President Buhari for his assent, abandoned and substituted the Nigerian
council’s bill by given “Chartered Institute of Social Work Practitioners
[Establishment] Bill 2019” accelerated hearing and concurrence passage and sent
it to Buhari for his assent.
According to him,
“The Association viewed this with suspicion, particularly the speed at which
this was done and the glaring preference of the private business bill to a
Government Controlled Controlled Council Bill.
“Chartered
Institute Bill is alien to Social Work profession because Social Workers do not
need chartered certificates to take care of the vulnerable and the voiceless.
The chartered nonsense is highly ridiculous because there is nothing like
Chartered Social Workers, chartered Nurses, Chartered Doctors etc in
humanitarian professions.
“The regulatory of
Social Work profession in all over the world is always under the control of
Government and not under the control of private Shylock organizations, just
like it is done in other professions like medicine, law, pharmacy and nursing.
“It is very painful
that the National Assembly cannot read between the line. The bill is not a
genuine commitment to social work development in Nigeria, it is not an altruism
because what would be welfare to ISWON in terms of economic gains would be ill
fare to all social workers and clients.”
“In order to
regulate and professionalise Social Work practice as obtainable in other
developed countries, NASoW in conjunction with Federal Ministry of Women
Affairs and Social Development sponsored a Bill which seeks to establish “The
Nigeria Council for Social Work” (a regulatory arm of the Federal Government of
Nigeria) which shall regulate the practice of Social Work in Nigeria. This Council
shall have same powers like Dental and Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery
Council of Nigeria,
“It is crystal
clear in all the aforementioned professions that it is the Federal Government
that regulates the practice while the practitioners come together to form
association/unions that will cater for welfare of its members. Regulation of
similar professions is done by The Federal Government of Nigeria which is the
common practice in all countries of the world; and not by private individuals
or organization.
“We are surprised
that the National Assembly, can concurred a bill that did not pass through due
process and left the Original bill that passed through the constitutional
process and requirements. Social Work profession suffers one of the highest
brain drain in Nigeria due to unfavourable condition to practice. Social Work
intervention is needed in the Justice system as prison welfare, parole and
probation officers, aftercare and integration service, in health, as
psychosocial therapists, resource mobilisers, advocates and rehabilitation
officers among other services.
“Finally, we are
urging all social workers in Nigeria especially registered NASoW members to be
steadfast and continue to render their services to their clients in a
professional manner they have been doing. The Association is confident that
President Muhammadu Buhari will not sign the Chartered Institute Bill in
error.”
The Federal
Government has appointed Capt. Mukhtar Yusuf Muye as the Director of Airport
Operations, DAO, for Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN.
Spokesperson of
FAAN, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
The new Director of
Operations is a highly trained commercial and Multi-Engine Instruments Pilot.
According to Mrs
Yukubu, Capt. Muye had a distinguished career in the aviation Industry.
Until his recent
appointment in the FAAN, he had worked with IRS Airlines as the Chief Pilot.
He takes over the
office of DAO which became vacant after
the appointment of the former DAO, Capt. Hamisu Yadudu as Managing Director /
Chief Executive Office of the Authority.
OIC Meeting: Why we are opposed to calls for Buhari’s resignation –
Ohanaeze Youths
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo
Youth Wing, OYC, has dissociated itself from the calls for President Muhammadu
Buhari’s resignation.
Ohanaeze had
through its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mazi Chuks Ibegbu said Buhari
owed Nigerians explanation about his trip to Saudi Arabia, for attending the
Organization of Islamic Committee’s meeting barely 24 hours after he was
sworn-in for a second term in office.
Why immediate
attendance of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, OIC, meeting in Saudi Arabia
a day after his swearing in? Mr President Buhari owes Nigerians that
explanation.
“This is a secular
country and a leader that wants to be a mullah or fanatic is
free to resign rather than plunge us into a religious crisis,” Ibegbu had said.
Reacting on Monday,
the OYC through its President-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro said the group
was amazed by such resignation call, describing it as “a rhetoric capable of
plunging the nation into a religious war that will consume Igbos living in the
North.”
“We disassociate
ourselves from any call for the resignation of President Buhari few days after
his swearing in, and urge those behind the call to have a rethink, and stop
using Igbo platform for personal vendetta against the Presidency.
“We should be
forming alliances and building bridges across the Niger, than creating enmity
with predominantly Northern Muslims, by calling on President Buhari to resign
on religious grounds. This amounts to fueling religious crisis capable of
putting the lives and properties of Igbos living in the North under threat and
unnecessary tension.
“We call on Vice
President Yemi Osibanjo to as a Pastor, douse all fears by inviting the
Christian Association of Nigeria and the PFN, and assure the Christian
community that in a Secular Nation like Nigeria, everyone is protected,”
Isiguzoro said in the statement.
I don’t think any Nation is doing what the Buhari-led government has
done – Babatunde Fashola
Former Minister of
Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has said that the Buhari-led
government has achieved major milestones that could hardly be achieved by any
other country in the world.
Fashola made this
assertion during a recent interview with newsmen at his office in Abuja,
the nations capital.
“This government is
doing something that I don’t think many if any nation has done before. They are
building the entire infrastructure at the same time ports, airports, rail,
roads, power, all simultaneously at the same time.
Often times, what
most countries do is to finish one then go to the other. And it is because we
have outgrown our infrastructure as a nation. And that is why you will see the
commitment of the President to projects like the second Niger bridge, the
Igbodo-Ogoni bridge, the Mambilla power plant, the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, all
of these is going on at the same time,” he said.
The Buhari-led
administration kicked off their second term in office on May 29th.
