Reps adopt conference C’ttee report on Peace Corps Bill

By Christiana Ekpa

The House of Representatives has adopted the conference committee reports on the bill to establish the Nigerian Peace Corps.

Rep. Babangida Ibrahim, Chairman of Committee, while moving for the consideration of the report in Abuja on Thursday said the bill among others was to establish the Nigerian Peace Corps.

He said the peace corps would be a body charged with the responsibility to develop, empower and provide gainful employment for youths.He added that it would also facilitate peace, volunteerism, community service, neighborhood watch and nation building.

The harmonised report of the conference committee which was laid and adopted by the lawmakers showed the conference adopted the version of the bill as passed in terms of clause 38(2).

The hghlight of the adopted report is on clause 38 (1) of the version passed by the Senate which is in conflict with the version passed by the House of Reps as contained under clause 38 (1).

The Senate’s version seeks dissolution of the existing Peace Corps of Nigeria and National Unity and Peace Corps.

The House of Reps version of the Bill solely recommends the dissolution of the existing Peace Corps of Nigeria to be transformed into the Nigerian Peace Corps when assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari.

It would be recalled that the Nigeria Peace Corps (NPC) Establishment Bill was passed in 2022 by the two Chambers.

Meanwhile, one of the lawmakers who crave anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the report said the harmonised copy of the bill would reach the President early enough so as to quicken its assent.

Members of the House Conference Committee are: Rep. Babangida Ibrahim as the Chairman, Rep. Chinedu Ogah, Rep Ibrahim Potiskum, Rep. Abdulmumini Are and Rep. Legor Idegbo.

NMDPRA to resume safety audit of petrol outlets, tankers operations – Official

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) says it will recommence technical safety audit of petrol retail outlets, tankers, refining facilities and depots operations nationwide to halt rising accidents’ cases.

The NMDPRA said that at least one death was recorded every four days in the course of products transportation, with 412 fatalities in 244 accidents between 2018 and the first quarter of 2023.

Dr Mustapha Lamorde, Executive Director of Health, Safety, Environment and Community (HSEC), in meeting with petroleum products transportation stakeholders in Abuja on Wednesday assured the operators of a halt to the deaths.

The engagement had in attendance executives of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association (IPMAN), Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) and the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO).

Lamorde said that petroleum products retail outlets took the lion’s share of accidents and fatalities during the period with 39 per cent.

He said that this was followed by tankers, refining facilities and gas facilities which shared 13 per cent each and depot accidents with 11 per cent.

Lamorde was represented by Mrs Maijiddah Abdulkadir, North Central Regional Coordinator, NMDPRA.

He said that the engagement was to call for a sound management of safety in the transportation of petroleum products operations in the downstream sector.

He said that the proper approach to achieve this was to ensure that HSE was managed from a business perspective and not for compliance purposes only.

He noted that safety-related matters should be integrated into the management decision-making process.

He added that the NMDPRA would continue to attune operators to the need to fully comply with relevant safety laws and regulations as stipulated in the Petroleum Industry Act.

In addition, the executive director said that this would forestall the dangers or risks posed by unwholesome practices and noncompliance to statutory provisions with respect to safety in the transportation of petroleum products.

“The NMDPRA has planned to recommence the HSE technical audits; of which the outcome will be used in liaison with other directorates, in the issuance of various licenses.

“The HSE technical audit will evaluate the adequacy of the HSE requirements, competency and training of staff engaged by the operators.

“This will no longer be business as usual, it is now safety first. The NMDPRA would ensure that the aspiration of the Federal Government in passing the PIA is achieved.

“The law has provided in clear terms that in the case of negligence by any operator, such operator would be sanctioned accordingly,” he said.

According to him, the aim of the engagement is not necessarily to sanction the operators but to ensure that operations are run in a safe manner to protect people, assets and the environment.

The executive director said health and safety needed to be a front burner to attract the growth of the business, reduction of insurance premiums and protection of the public.

“For us to achieve the following, we must reawaken the safety consciousness in our operations,” he added.

In a presentation, NMDPRA’s Head of HSE, North Central Region, Mr Ugochukwu Okpara, listed the concerns and risks during operational activities like discharging or dispensing to include, not allowing the trucks to settle before beginning of discharge.

He also listed failure to ground the truck, discharging during high temperatures, carrying out maintenance work on the truck while discharging as well as discharging and dispensing simultaneously as some of the causes of fires in filling stations.

Okpara added that leaks on the truck, disorderly queues, lack of safety awareness by pump attendants, use of mobile phones, vehicle maintenance around the area and lack of firefighting equipment could cause serious damage.

Okpara urged stakeholders to stop kickstarting motorcycles around the dispensing area, smoking and dispensing while vehicle engine is on.

For tanker accidents and incidents, he listed inadequate training for drivers and handing of vehicles to motor boys, poor truck and hose integrity as well as lack of grounding, among others as being some of the causative factors

Many of the stakeholders drawn from states, however, commended the meeting and urged that the Federal Government to fix major roads in the country to minimise the frequency of tanker accidents.

The stakeholders appealed for a halt to the fake tyres and other vehicle parts in circulation in the country to prevent loss of lives and property. (NAN)

UBEC organises workshop on moral regeneration in basic education

By Maryam Abeeb

The Universal Basic Education Commission , UBEC has organised a stakeholders meeting to create a pathway for moral regeneration and reorientation at the basic education level in the country.

Speaking while declaring the meeting open in Abuja, Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi stated that over the years, the commission has been concern over the degeneration of moral and overturn of values in the society.

According to him, the Commission as an agency of Government has the onus to reorder the situation as it has as one of its objectives ‘’to ensure the acquisition of appropriate level of literacy, numeracy, manipulative, communicative and life skills as well as ethical, moral, and civic values”.

“In fulfilling this objective, and in relation to the mandate of the Commission, the focus is the school. In as much that there are many other institutions responsible for moulding the character of the child, the school plays a major role in the life of a child. The school is a socializing agent of moral and character building where responsible functional citizens are developed from the cradle,” he said.

Bobboyi added that since the basic education level is where learners are given the opportunity to equip themselves with moral values, skills and competencies that can assist them in effecting personal and community positive change, the Commission has taken it upon itself to organize the stakeholder’s workshop with the school as its target.

“Prior to now, The Commission had conducted an explorative survey to gather information on the level of moral degeneration, its causes as well as its effect on teaching and learning in the school. Besides, information on what could be done to mitigate the effect of the degeneration was also gathered. We shall be sharing some excerpts from the report. This is to enable whatever discussion we are having today to be meaningful and evidenced based,” he said.

UBEC boss urged the participants in the event, to use the opportunity to make meaningful contribution that will assist the Commission to achieve the goal of the programme at not just the basic education level but the society in general.

The event had participants from the different facets of life; the Church, Academia, the private sector, practitioners, and the classroom teachers.