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Deepening Public Sector Leadership: The Oyeyemi’s FRSC Example

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FRSC RECORDS 47% INCREASE IN NUMBER OF PERSONS RESCUED FROM 131 CRASHES DURING 2022 EASTER

 

Ibrahim Maiwada, in this piece made available to National Association of Online Security Reporters, NAOSRE, examines the professionalism of FRSC under the quality leadership of Boboye Oyeyemi

 

There is a general aphorism that the reward for doing a job so well is being set on the track of more work, and in pursuing that logic, it is about also being allowed to perfect all the good work such person has engaged in, to ultimately bringing these to fruition.

The wisdom of the foregoing appears apt in relation to the situation of the Corps Marshall and Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi. This is within the purview of what appears as an orchestrated campaign of calumny targeted at railroading him out of office, while his tenure at the helms of Nigeria’s primary road management authority is yet to end.

While there has been a lot of bean-counting around civil service rules and the legal or moral basis of his continuation in office, despite having attained the stipulated age of retirement, the fact remains that service at the upper echelons of public administration in the country basically depends at the discretion of the chief executive of the federation – the President.

It is the President who largely considers how his vision and directives have been well served and executed by any particular helmsman, and then decides on whether or not to keep such person at the duty post, as he seeks to maximise the effectiveness of public institutions, and deliver on the mandate given to him by the public.

Also, in a country in which the public space is charged with rhetoric about the promotion of a meritocracy, a tested and efficient cadre, appeals to our ‘better angels’ for public institutions to be run on the basis of excellence in human resource, and not to keep pandering to the pressures of ethnic, religious or other forms of quotas, it is not unthinkable for a President to want to stick to his ‘best eleven’ across the gamut of governance.

There is also some history behind this. A recall of such point to an instance during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, who chose to keep one of the Inspectors General of Police that served under him, Sunday Ehindero, on beyond the demands of conventional retirement. In that regard, he had made a special concession and extension of years of service for Ehindero, to enable the Inspector General fully deliver on some of the security sector programmes of his government.

Currently, we also have the situation of the present service chiefs in the military apparatus, from the Army to the Navy and Air Force, who are staying on in office at the discretion of President Buhari, despite having reached their points of retirement from the forces. While many might not seem to understand the rationale behind keeping this gentlemen on at their duty posts, hence the ranging clamour for their replacement, yet it might not be far-fetched to consider that the Commander-In-Chief is possibly privy to a different level of information and intelligence – not likely to be easily available to the public – that informs his adopted stance.

Still, it remains a fact that Dr. Oyeyemi was duly reappointed for another four-year tenure in 2018, despite indications of almost having attained the age ceiling for service. This was an exercise of the discretion of the President, who appears to have been pleased with the work being carried out at the FRSC. Basically, the cadre of public officials that Dr. Oyeyemi belongs to serve at the pleasure of the President, whose disposition towards keeping them on the job could pertain to the critical roles that they play in sectors crucial to the safety of lives in the country.

There are testimonies that point out that Oyeyemi’s over three decades at the FRSC till date have been underscored by an unusual diligence to duty and relentless missioning after the objectives of the Commission. He is noted as being one of the foundational staff of the organisation, who rose through the ranks to arrive at its leadership; hence he is a true native of the system he administers. Having served in almost every department and formation of the FRSC, it is easy to see how he gained what has been described as the rounded reputation of a certified road traffic management administrator.

Its is public knowledge that on his watch at the FRSC, there has been a trending down of road accidents in the country, due to more campaigns around safe driving practices, wider monitoring of road use, and also a greater swiftness in the response to road accidents. These include both the emergency responses to preserving life by enabling prompt access to medical attention and the quick clearing of our local and major roads and highways, following unfortunate mishaps.

Oyeyemi is noted as having taken over command of the FRSC at a time when road traffic crashes in Nigeria were routine and so bad that they led to over 40,000 fatalities per year. This made the country rank second only to Ethiopia in terms of nations with the most dangerous roads to drive on.

Other testaments to the level of difference that Dr. Oyeyemi has made in Nigeria’s traffic management system highlight facts such as his introduction of policies, reforms and the digitisation process that have produced a sophisticated fleet system. These are observed to have been accomplished through the Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme that regulates and coordinates the fleet operation in the country.

Also, there have been the strengthening of the Driving School Standardisation Programme; the setting up of the “Safe to Load” programme, to reduce the rate of road accidents caused by articulated vehicles; and the rapid expansion of FRSC Commands through the creation of Outposts, several other Unit Commands, additional Drivers Licence Centres, and ambulance points.

Further to these, the inventory of achievements of Oyeyemi administration of the FRSC point to the introduction of speed-limiting devices for safer road use, the upgrading of the FRSC Academy to a degree awarding institution, and the establishment of an FRSC Traffic Radio for the better outreach of the Commission to the public on road safety.

The slew of vital programmes carried out under Dr. Oyeyemi as the Corps Marshall of the FRSC equally include the training of Federal Government drivers across the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) or government; the child restraint campaign; and the tyre campaign, which has sought to stem the influx and use of fake and expired tyres into the country.

More so, there has been the strengthening of inter-agency cooperation with relevant government institutions, such as the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), and banks, towards the harmonisation of data for national development.

The accomplishments that Dr. Oyeyemi have marshalled into road administration in Nigeria is observed as having served as a beacon in the continent till date, making the Sierra Leonean government send their road safety officials to understudy the success of the system in place in Nigeria, for adoption in their country.

With a doctorate degree in Transport Administration from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka; a Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Lagos, and numerous certifications from institutions such as the Harvard University School of Government, and Royal Institute for Public Administration (RIPA), London, Dr. Oyeyemi appears certainly as well-heeled for the role he has been playing.

It is no surprise that through his direction, the FRSC has won a number of distinctions, such as best MDA in nation building, by means of the NITDA-NIHILENT e-Governance recognition in 2015, and the Award for Excellence in Humanitarian Service in Nigeria in 2015. More, so the Commission has granted the Service Delivery Award as one of the Outstanding Public Institutions in Nigeria by Independent Service Delivery monitoring Group (ISDMG), 2014-2015, among numerous other high profile recognitions that testify to the quality of its leadership.

Such a remarkable catalogue of accomplishments easily makes the case for the deepening of a particular form of painstaking leadership in the public sector and FRSC, which Dr. Oyeyemi represents. And, rather than the restless stoking of controversies around a duly renewed tenure, wouldn’t road management in the country and public service be better off if Oyeyemi is allowed to consolidate his achievements through the remainder of his time in office, and then pass a virile baton on to the next cohort of leadership?

Bank

ZENITH BANK REWARDS HACKATHON WINNERS WITH N77.5M CASH PRIZE AT ZENITH TECH FAIR 4.0

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ZENITH BANK REWARDS HACKATHON WINNERS WITH N77.5M CASH PRIZE AT ZENITH TECH FAIR 4.0

 

A total sum of N77.5 million in prize money was won at the end of a keenly contested hackathon session at the Fourth Edition of the Zenith Tech Fair, themed “Future Forward 4.0: Embedded Finance, Cybersecurity & Growth Imperatives – The Impact of AI “, which held on Thursday, November 21, 2024, at the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The prize money was shared among ten finalists who emerged from the over 1,700 contestants that took part in the hackathon, with JumpnPass, a self-checkout technology solution reshaping the retail landscape in Africa emerging as the overall winner and taking home the grand prize of N25 million. This is in addition to a six-week mentorship and incubation program designed to help them grow and scale effectively, which will run from December 2024 to February 2025.

The first runner-up, CreditChek, a credit and verification service provider which leverages AI and open banking to streamline income and credit history verification for financial institutions, won N20 million and a mentorship programme, while the second runner-up, Salad Africa, a start-up which offers seamless integration of credit products for digital platforms and software companies won N15 million as well as a mentorship programme. Other finalists who took home N2.5million each include Regxta, CashAfrica, Middleman, Messenger, Pocketfood, Famasi Africa, Kitovu.

Earlier during the programme, the Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank Plc, Dame (Dr.) Adaora Umeoji, OON, in her welcome address expressed her appreciation to the Founder & Chairman, Dr Jim Ovia, CFR, for birthing the idea that led to the establishment of the Tech Fair initiative 5 years ago, she thanked him for his vision and foresight in utilizing technology to revolutionize the world of business and banking.

Commenting on the Hackathon, she said, “This prestigious annual event was created to empower and nurture young fertile minds. We hope to produce the likes of Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk from the Zenith Bank Hackathons in the nearest future. According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, 70% of Nigeria’s population are youths which is an economic asset when properly harnessed. This is part of the reason why Zenith Bank is hosting this event to support the development of technology startups. Their success not only fosters innovation and growth in Nigeria, but it also plays a vital role in creating employment opportunities for our youth.” She also stressed on the importance of innovation and embedded finance in ensuring strong and enduring institutions. According to her, “it is paramount that we adapt and adopt technology to stay ahead of the curve. We have seen various cases of companies that failed because of their lack of innovation. It is quite obvious that when companies fail to innovate; they can easily be displaced, so this is not the time to be orthodox, innovation should be a top priority for us.”

In his goodwill message, The Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu called for a global approach to doing business in the country. According to him, “What we need to do is to be able to enhance our product and services in order to compete in the world. We can’t continue to act local, we need to think global. Anything that we’re doing now, we need to be able to know that we are not just serving a local market, we actually want to serve the global market, and that’s why I’m glad that consistently, for the past four years, I have kept up with the Zenith Tech Fair. I am sure 5.0 should be bigger and better than what we have today, but for us as a government, what we need to do is to continue to use platforms like this to reassure you of our readiness to provide an enabling environment for your ideas and innovative solutions.”

Described as a huge success by participants, the Fair featured the launch of the bank’s digital wallet, EazyByZenith, which will help to support the bank’s retail and financial inclusion strategy. The fair also included presentations on the leading technological innovations that cut across different aspects of life, such as Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Risk Management, Compliance, Financial Intelligence, Cloud Computing and Communication Technologies, with the keynote address, “Banking Transformation in a Digital World”, delivered by Robin Speculand, a renowned Strategy & Digital Implementation Specialist.

The event also featured goodwill messages by Jim Ovia, CFR, Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank; His Excellency, Hon. Kashim Shettima, GCON, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (represented by Dr. Tope Fasua, Special Adviser to the Presidency on Economic Matters). Other eminent IT practitioners from top global brands who also made presentations include; Robin Speculand, renowned Strategy & Digital Implementation Specialist; Danilo McGarry, Global Expert on Digital Transformation and AI; Jania Okwechime, Partner, Africa, AI & Data Leader, Deloitte; Rupert Nicolay, Director, Microsoft Worldwide Financial Services.

The panel session had Wole Odeyele, Client Technology Lead for Microsoft Inc. as its host, and featured six discussants including Ada Jabaru, Founder & Director, Nistad Limited; Funke Opeke, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, MainOne; Guy Futi, Chief Executive Officer, Orda; Dr Auwal Adam Sa’ad, Founder, ZamzamPay; Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote, Director General/Chief Executive Officer, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

The Zenith Bank startup pitch competition and incubation program seeks to identify and fast-track the growth of high-potential Nigerian startups innovating in key sectors, including Embedded Finance, Cybersecurity, Fintech, HealthTech, Agritech, E-commerce, and more. The program provides an ideal platform for startups to showcase their groundbreaking ideas and gain access to invaluable resources to scale their businesses.

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Business

NEW BPP DG COMMITS TO EFFICIENCY AND STAFF WELFARE FOR IMPACTFUL SERVICE DELIVERY

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NEW BPP DG COMMITS TO EFFICIENCY AND STAFF WELFARE FOR IMPACTFUL SERVICE DELIVERY*

*_…begins review of bureau processes to enhance government procurement systems_*

The Director General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Dr Adebowale Adedokun, has outlined his vision to drive efficiency, enhance staff welfare, and reinforce the Bureau’s regulatory mandate in alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope mandate and his commitment to improving Nigeria’s economy. This was made known during an interactive session with staff of the Bureau at the State House Banquet Hall on November 20, 2024. Dr Adedokun emphasised the urgency of delivering results as well as improving trust in the government procurement system to support President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, declaring, “Let us work together to get value for money for Nigeria’s developmental processes and achieve President Tinubu’s mandate of making Nigeria’s economy better.”

Furthermore, in a bid to strengthen operational efficiency, the DG also announced key reforms, including introducing Service Level Agreements for the bureau’s processes ensuring that letters are treated within 3 (three) days, and ensuring reports are completed within 14 (fourteen) days. He also highlighted plans to secure a sustainable budget that would improve the working environment and provide better welfare for staff.

Dr Adedokun firmly stated the Bureau’s resolve to uphold its regulatory integrity under his watch. He warned that officers are prohibited from visiting Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) unless on official assignments stressing the need for officers of the Bureau to stay above board. He further declared that contractors are no longer allowed within the Bureau’s premises to ensure that officers can perform their duties without undue interference and influence.

Calling for a collaborative approach, the DG urged staff to embody the Bureau’s regulatory values by adhering to procurement guidelines, avoiding delays, and striving for excellence. “As a regulator, you must be seen to be guided by the procurement process,” he stated. He assured the team of an open-door policy, encouraging innovative ideas that could propel the Bureau to greater heights.

The session also featured a visit from former DG, Engr. Emeka Ezeh, OFR, FNSE, who led the Bureau from 2009 to 2016. Engr. Ezeh commended President Tinubu for appointing Dr Adedokun and urged staff to provide their full support to the new leadership. He encouraged staff to focus on leaving a legacy of excellence, saying, “Work in a way that you will be celebrated wherever you go in life.”

Senior Directors, including Engr. Nasir Bello and Engr. Isaiah Yesufu reiterated the importance of supporting the DG’s vision while emphasizing adherence to the Bureau’s operational guidelines. Staff also welcomed the session, sharing their perspectives on improving the Bureau’s operations and pledging their support for the new leadership.

In a related development, Dr Adedokun sought collaboration with the Presidential Office of Digital Engagement and Strategy (PODES) led by its Head, Mr O’tega Ogra, who is also the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital/New Media, during a courtesy visit to his office on November 21, 2024. The DG emphasized the need to enhance the Bureau’s public engagement and visibility in line with the all-of-government communications approach being espoused by the PODES.

Mr Ogra congratulated Dr Adedokun on his appointment and highlighted the key role BPP plays in advancing Nigeria’s development agenda. O’tega further expressed his commitment to collaborating with the Bureau in amplifying its communication efforts and ensuring Nigerians understand and appreciate its critical role in national governance.

Dr Adedokun’s leadership marks a new chapter for the Bureau of Public Procurement, focused on accountability, efficiency, and impactful service delivery. His vision aligns seamlessly with the Federal Government’s goals of economic transformation and sustainable development as well as President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.

Janet McDickson
Director, Information & Public Relations/Head, Media-BPP

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Woman nabbed for stealing infant during christening

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Woman nabbed for stealing infant during christening

Woman nabbed for stealing infant during christening

 

The Nasarawa State Police Command says it has arrested one Khadija Aliyu for allegedly stealing a seven-day-old baby girl during a naming ceremony in the Keffi area of the state.

This is just as the command also arrested an ex-convict, Hussaini Mohammed, for allegedly stealing motorcycles in the same area.

it was reported that  in a statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Rahman Nansel, on Sunday, that the suspect was arrested at about 6:30 pm on Saturday.

Nansel said the suspect had pretended to be pregnant and, while the christening was ongoing, she sneaked into the house and stole the baby who had been laid to sleep

 

She was said to have carried the baby on her back, covered her with a veil, and escaped before being tracked down by police operatives.

He said, “At about 6:30 hrs, police operatives attached to the Keffi Division arrested one Khadija Aliyu for stealing a seven-day-old baby girl during a naming ceremony in Keffi.

“The suspect, who had been claiming to be pregnant, attended a naming ceremony at Behind INEC office, Keffi.

 

“While the event was ongoing, she sneaked into the house, stole the baby that was laid to sleep, carried the child on her back, covered her with a veil, and escaped before she was later arrested.”

 

In another incident, Rahman disclosed that Mohammed was apprehended for allegedly stealing motorcycles in the same area.

According to the PPRO, Hussaini, who was recently discharged from a correctional facility, was apprehended during the investigation into a case of stolen motorcycles.

Nansel said, “During the investigation, three motorcycles suspected to be stolen items were recovered from the suspect as exhibits.”

He added that the Commissioner of Police, Umar Shehu Nadada, called on members of the public with cases of stolen motorcycles to visit the Angwan Lambu Division in Keffi with proofs of ownership and lay claims to the items.

PUNCH Metro reported in July 2023 that a 19-year-old woman from Ishehi Hamlet in Misau Local Government Area of Bauchi State was arrested by the police for allegedly stealing a newborn baby.

The suspect, Hajara Usman, had allegedly stolen the infant after conspiring with an 18-year-old man, Ibrahim Usman, of Dugurgama Hamlet.

 

The Bauchi State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakil, said the suspect was arrested after a resident of the Galawa Area of Akuyam District in Misau LGA reported the incident at the Akuyam Police Outstation that his daughter’s newborn baby was stolen at about 4:30 am.

 

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