PPP: Triumph publishing coy rebounds, secures 64 shops in Kano

From

Mustapha Adamu, Kano

The Triumph Publishing Company, has gotten a new lifeline after it received the share of 64 shops at the newly constructed ultra modern Bureau De Change market, located at the company’s former site in Fagge Local Government area of Kano state.

Peoples Daily reports that on September 11, 2020, the Kano state government signed an agreement with Lamash Properties Limited Company, under Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) arrangement to develop an ultra modern Bureau De Change market at the then Head Office of the Triumph Publishing Company.

Part of the conditions in the signed agreement is to relocate the Triumph Company to a new location at Amana Housing Estate, which had already been completed successfully.

Speaking at the handing over ceremony of the shops to the management of the Triumph Company on Wednesday in Kano, an official of the Lamash Properties Limited, Hadiza Abdulkadir expressed gratitude to see the handover of the shares to the company.

She explained that clause 7 in page 3 of the development agreement stipulates that the state government “shall be entitled to receive N1.04 billion worth of shops, comprising of N500m value of the land contributed to the project and N530.8 million, representing 25% profit share.”

“Today we are here by the will of Almighty Allah, to handover the completed shops and all their keys belonging to Kano state government in this project.

“Pursuant to the letter of directive given to us by Kano state government through the Technical Committee to handover the said Kano state government shops in this project to the management of Triumph Publishing Company, I have the honor to invite the management of the Triumph Publishing Company to come forward for the necessary process of the handover,” she said.

In his remarks, Lawal Sabo Ibrahim, Managing Director of Triumph Publishing Company expressed delight with the development.

The Managing Director explained that the 25 percent share represents 64 shops, which according to him if managed properly, would bring Triumph Company back to its glory days.

According to him, the publishing coy, within the short period of time, would start remitting revenue to the government ‘s treasury.

He noted that the acquisition of the shops would make the company buy more production machines and equipment, which according to him, “would translate into more revenues for the company and the state government.”

“I pray to Almighty God to make this project sustainable and make the outgoing and incoming governments see it as something to keep the triumph going,” he said .

He noted that the acquisition of the shops would surely boost Triumph’s production and contribute immensely to the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

NHIA pledges to leave no one behind in health insurance coverage

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has reiterated its commitment to leave no one behind in efforts to provide financial protection to Nigerians against the cost of ill-health.

The NHIA Coordinator in Kaduna State, Malam Aminu Tanimu, gave the commitment in an interview with newsmen in Kaduna on Tuesday.

He said that the authority has different health insurance packages for different categories of people in both the formal and informal sectors toward the attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

According to him, there is a package for the formal sector, the informal sector, communitybased, retirees and students of tertiary institutions, among other packages for all categories of persons and individuals.

Tanimu said “this is to ensure that no one is left behind in the Federal Government efforts to provide health insurance cover for all citizens.”

He urged Nigerians to embrace the programme and access quality healthcare services at affordable cost without exposure to financial risk.

He particularly urged Kaduna residents that are not covered by any of NHIA’s packages to subscribe to the Group, Individual and Family Social Health Insurance Programme (GIFSHIP).

He explained that GIFSHIP was designed for small-scale enterprises, associations, unions and institutions outside the organised private sector, selfemployed individuals, families, and groups.

Others, he said, were retiree and retiree associations, diaspora groups, foreigners living in the country, as well as those whose premium would be covered by philanthropists or members of the National Assembly (NASS).

The coordinator further explained that “under the package, contributions for an individual with two dependents is 45,000 per annum, while a family of four would pay N60, 000, with each member of the family enrolled at N15, 000.

“Group enrollment is pegged at N15, 000 per person per annum, with a minimum number of 10 persons per group, except smallscale enterprises with less than 10 employees.

“The benefit package is huge and can be accessed in any NHIA facility in any part of the country.”

The state coordinator also said that the authority was doing all it could to improve the quality of services across NHIA accredited facilities in the country.

He added that Prof. Nasiru Sambo, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the authority, was already strengthening states with the required manpower – doctors, pharmacists, lab scientists, and nurses, among others.

He said that NHIA officials would be going round facilities to assess the level of service delivery, adding that any facility found wanting would be sanctioned according to the NHIA guidelines.

Tanimu appealed to enrollees who were not satisfied with the quality of services or felt shortchanged to report to their Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs) or the nearest NHIA office, assuring that necessary action shall be taken.

“An enrollee who has complaints at a health care facility on issues relating to service delivery should first contact his or her HMO.

“If the complaint is not resolved or the case is an emergency, the enrollee should register the complaint with the nearest NHIA office,” he advised.

Senate Presidency: Ndume joins race, cautions against zoning

By Musa Baba Adamu

Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South has expressed his readiness to contest for Senate President in the 10th National Assembly.

The 10th Assembly will be inaugurated in June 2023 after the swearing-in of the Presidentelect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on May 29.

Ndume, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, however, said his ambition would be determined by the fairness of the zoning arrangements that would be put in place by the All Progressives Congress leadership

He said “Subject to the position of the party (APC), and the fairness of such arrangements, I intend to throw my hat in the ring for the race of Senate President because of my experience.”

The Borno South Senator who contested the seat with the incumbent president of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan in 2019, wondered why the APC was insisting on zoning arrangements for the National Assembly positions when it didn’t do the same during the presidential primaries.

He said, “The APC leadership did not take any position during the presidential primary election. Aspirants from all geopolitical zones participated in the exercise.

“Senators should be allowed to choose a competent person among them that has adequate legislative and managerial experiences to lead the Senate.

“Zoning may not lead to the emergence of the best person for the job, that is why the decision to choose the Senate presiding officers must be the sole responsibility of the senators.”

He pledged to put Nigeria and Nigeria’s interests first if elected, even as he said the issue of political inclusion and power devolution would be paramount in his Agenda.

As the Senate President, he said he would “be one, not first among equals” and promised to work harmoniously and interdependently with the executive arm of government.

Ndume also said the relationship between the legislature and the judiciary would be cordial without undermining the principles of Separation of Power.

He pledged that the Senate under his leadership would make new laws and review existing ones to meet the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.