Today’s Headlines: Lagos Assembly begins screening of Sanwo-Olu’s cabinet nominees, UNICEF, Enugu partner on SDGs.

Lagos Assembly begins screening of Sanwo-Olu’s cabinet nominees.

According to Punch news, The Lagos State House of Assembly, on Sunday, commenced the screening of the cabinet nominees sent to it by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Friday, July 28.

Twenty out of 39 nominees had been screened by the end of Monday by an ad hoc committee of the House constituted for the assignment in an exercise that started on Sunday.

It is expected that all the cabinet nominees would have been screened by Wednesday when the exercise is expected to end.

On Sunday, the committee led by the Chief Whip of the House, Mojeed Fatai, screened Mobolaji Ogunlende, Dr Olajide Babatunde, Lawal Pedro, and the immediate-past Special Adviser to the Governor on Parastatals Monitoring, Afolabi Ayantayo.

Others screened on Sunday were: Mr Jamiu Alli-Balogun, Olugbenga Olaniyi, Ogunwuyi Ekundayo, Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu, Ibrahim Layode, and an immediate-past lawmaker of the state from Badagry, Adetokunbo Wahab.

On Monday, the committee grilled the immediate-past Special Adviser to Governor Sanwo-Olu on Housing, Mrs Adetoke Benson-Awoyinka, and a former Executive Secretary of Yaba Local Council Development Area, Mrs Bola Lawal.

Others screened on Monday were Yakubu Alebiosu, Idris Aregbe, Abdul-Kabir Ogungbo, Dr Oreoluwa Finnih-Awokoya, Abiola Olowu, Dr Adekunle Olayinka, Mosopefolu George, and Aramide Adeyoye.

The Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, had recently constituted the 12-man ad hoc committee for the exercise.

At the commencement of the screening, the Chief Whip noted that the task before the lawmakers was in line with a provision of the 1999 Constitution.

“The House of Assembly has the mandate to screen and confirm the nominees for the position of commissioners and Special Advisers.

UNICEF, Enugu partner on SDGs.

According to Punch news, The United Nations Children’s Fund says it is ready to partner with the Enugu State Government in the quest to actualise the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Chief of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, UNICEF Nigeria, Dr. Jane Bevan, made this commitment during the presentation of a WASH Master Plan of the agency to Governor Peter Mbah at the Government House in Enugu on Monday.

Bevan expressed satisfaction with the commitment, dedication, and political will of the Enugu governor to actualise the SDGs programmes, adding that the international agency was ready to partner with the state to realise set objectives.

Addressing journalists, Bevan said, “We came here today to present this very preliminary outline master plan for achieving the SDGs by 2030.

“I think that with the commitment and dedication that the governor has demonstrated to me today, I really think that Enugu is on the right track and could definitely achieve this.

“There are so many different elements that will need to come together to make water, sanitation, and hygiene happen in the state; but I think the governor has got a strong political will and he can make it happen.”

The governor, while appreciating the support of UNICEF so far, said his administration had since inauguration declared a state of emergency on water provision because of the importance of water to life.

Don seeks conversion of natural resources for industrialisation.

According to Punch news, The Senior Special Adviser on Industrialisation to the President of the African Development Bank, Prof. Oyebanji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, has advised Nigeria to harness the abundance of its natural resources, human capital, science and technology for industrialisation.

Oyelaran-Oyeyinka who gave a keynote, titled, ‘From fragility trap to sustainable economic development,’ at the recently concluded Africa Social Impact Summit in Lagos, said Nigeria was an example of a poor nation consuming what the rich nations manufactured.

He said, “The future will be defined not by the abundance of natural resources but by human capital, science and technology and how nations harness them for industrialisation. Due to their strong industrial capabilities, rich nations manufacture what poor nations consume. The Nigerian example is telling.

Tied closely to industrialisation, but not always connected in public discourse, is arguably the most challenging economic issues faced by the country currently: Balance of Payment and foreign exchange crises. What we see manifesting as shortage of foreign exchange and the precipitous decline of the national currency is in large part because we consume high-value products that we do not produce, and export low-value raw materials.”

He also condemned Nigerians’ appetite for imports including expensive luxury goods.

He warned that weak industrialisation was fueling socio-economic fragility in the country.

VC laments encroachment, illegal mining activities.

According to Punch news, The Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilesa, Osun State, Prof. Taiwo Asaolu, has called on the state government to address the incessant encroachment of the institution’s land and activities of the illegal miners causing environmental degradation on campus.

Asaolu, who spoke while formally receiving the UNILESA Pro-Chancellor, Mr Gbenga Onigbogi, into the premises of the university, lamented the incessant thefts and negative impacts of the activities of herdsmen on the premises of the university.

According to him, the issue of sustainable funding for the University, appointment of qualified academic and non-academic staff, as well as renovation of lecture halls, Information and Communication Technology, among others must also be quickly addressed by the government through the Pro-Chancellor.

He said, “Pro-Chancellor Sir, there are some urgent issues that need to be addressed in order to consolidate the foundation being laid for the University.

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