From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of the National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB), Professor Ifeoma Isiugo-Abanihe, has clarified that the exams body’s certificate is never inferior to the likes of the National Examinations Council (NECO) and West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
Prof. Isiugo-Abanihe, who made the clarification in an interaction with Daily Sun correspondent, stressed that the certificate served the same purpose with NECO and WAEC, adding that it was a legal requirement in admission processes into universities and other tertiary institutions.
“People had fears about the credibility of the certificate in the past, but that has been corrected. Candidates have more confidence in NABTEB than before, thanks to the effort of my predecessors, which I am committed to upholding and possibly surpass. The confidence is also reflected in the recently released May/June examination result in which we had impressive performance from our candidates. However, preparation for the November exams has begun and many people have indicated interest through our online application process,” she said.
She thereby encouraged other candidates, particularly those doubting the credibility of the certificate, to take advantage of the opportunity to get some business and technical skills, which are key to making positive impact in the 21st century technology driven world.
She assured the government that NABTEB was committed to producing technical experts, who would help drive the diversification programmes of the government, thus moving Nigeria from mono-economy to an industrialised nation.
Prof. Isiugo-Abanihe, however, expressed her gratitude to management and staff of NABTEB for their support, particularly in the last one month that she had served as the new helmsman of the Council, promising to always see to the welfare of the workers, which she believed would result in dedication, diligence and commitment to assigned duties.
LABOUR: FG, ILO seek conducive work environment
From Magnus Eze, Abuja
The Federal Government and International Labour Organisation (ILO) have said that the national dialogue on the future of workplace would aside from helping in tackling the current unemployment, facing Nigeria also engender conducive work environment.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, who said the government was aware of the need to combat the high rate of unemployment and underemployment through diversification of the economy, added that it would always promote inclusive and sustainable economic development, productive employment and creation of decent jobs for the teeming youth.
Ngige, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Clement Illoh, at the national dialogue in Abuja, expressed the optimism that it would also serve as a roadmap for addressing the challenges of unemployment in the country.
ILO Country Director, Mr. Dennis Zulu, explained that the future of work dialogue was structured around four themes; work and society, the organisation of work and production, decent jobs for all; and the governance of work.
He stated that the Future of Work would surely contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.
“The achievement of SDGs was a collective responsibility of the ILO, its constituents and other key stakeholders,” Zulu emphasised.
WORKS: FG, CCECC sign $5.085b rail contract
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The Federal Government has signed two commercial contract agreements worth $5.085 billion for the Kano-Kaduna Segment 3 of the Lagos-Kano rail modernisation project and Calabar-Port Harcourt Segment 1, extending to Onne Deep Sea Port of the coastal rail project with the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).
Minister of Transportation, Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, who signed on behalf of the Federal Government, described the signing of the commercial contract agreements, as symbolic, disclosing that while the Kano-Kaduna Segment 3 would gulp the sum of $1.685 billion, Calabar-Port Harcourt Segment 1 would cost $3.4 billion.
Assuring that the Federal Government would release its counterpart fund, as quickly as possible, the minister stressed that with the cooperation of the China-EXIM bank, the projects would be completed by November 2018.
His words: “In the sense that what we are doing is the segmentation of that same contract, in line with the agreement with the China-Exim Bank. I assured Mr. President that we needed to complete these projects in two years.”
Speaking earlier, the Managing Director of the CCECC, Mr. Jack Li, assured the Federal Government of his company’s readiness to complete the projects in two years, adding this would be of great benefits to the people and the society at large.
FINANCIAL: 50 graduate interns exit GIS programme
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
No fewer than 50 graduate interns have exited the Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS) of the Federal Government, which is domiciled in the Ministry of Finance.
These interns have successfully concluded their one-year internship with a firm of their choice, even as another 45 new graduate interns were welcomed into the scheme for one year of career adventure.
GIS Project Director, Mr. Dennis Chukwu, while speaking at the exit orientation programme organised by Jalingo Limited in Abuja, congratulated the successful interns for being part of the privileged graduates to use the platform to acquire corporate knowledge and experience, thus urging them to adequately put the experiences to use in order to distinguish them from their contemporaries in the Nigerian labour market.
He said: “A period of 12 months of internship at the early time seemed so endless, yet it has ended successfully. I believe that the internship period has come with successes, challenges and attendant curiosities. It has also brought you to a realm where you ask yourself the question of who you have become through the platform and how it had prepared you for future challenges.”
The director, who was represented by Mr. Edward Adole, reminded the interns that the objective of the exit training was to review their experiences, assess their individual strength as well as plans for the launch of their desired business or career.