By Victor Ahiuma-Young
ORGANISED Labour under the aegis of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the Energy Commission of Nigeria Amendment Bill, 2022 before handing over to the incoming administration on May 29, 2023.
In a statement by its President, Festus Osifo and General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, the association said the appeal was a sequel to the negligence of the Bill which was transmitted to the Office of the President since November 28, 2022.
PENGASSAN reminded President Buhari of the critical role of the Energy Commission of Nigeria in nation-building, explaining that “the commission is expected to meet up with the energy demands of the country in critical areas especially by sustaining energy development in the country.”
The association blamed “the inability of the Energy Commission of Nigeria to perform its mandated duties on bureaucratic breakdowns with the various stakeholders and internal shortcomings, stressing that the situation has been costly for Nigeria’s energy sector.
“It reveals that the provisions of the current Act of the Energy Commission are no longer in tandem with the present realities in the energy sector, hence the request for the Amendment of the Energy Commission of Nigeria Bill,2022.”
FG appoints Raji-Mustapha NPC’s D-G
THE Federal Government has appointed Dr Nasir Olaitan Raji-Mustapha as the Director General of the National Productivity Centre, NPC.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige presented the letter of appointment to the new NPC Director-General. The letter, dated May 2, 2023, by Ngige, read: “Appointment as the Director-General of the National Productivity Centre.
“In accordance with the provisions of Section 5 of the National Productivity Centre Act, Cap 70, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN), 2004; Mr President, Muhammadu Buhari has approved your appointment as the new Director-General of the NPC.
“You shall hold office for four years and shall be eligible for re-appointment for a period of four years. Your current appointment takes effect from May 19, 2023 when the tenure of the incumbent Director-General is expected to expire.”
Accepting the appointment, the new DG thanked the President and the Minister for finding him worthy of the appointment and promised to take the centre to greater heights in order to realise its mandate. Until his new appointment, Raji-Mustapha was the Director of Procurement in the Centre.
“He was at different times, Deputy Director and Assistant Director under various capacities, during which he handled numerous important and strategic assignments, geared towards enhancing national productivity.
Raji-Mustapha joined the Centre in 1994 as a Senior Productivity Research Officer, Agriculture and Rural Productivity Department, Abuja.
Before entering the public service, he was a lecturer at Alemaya University (Now Haramaya University) from 2002 to 2004 under the Ethiopia-Nigerian Technical Aid Corps Volunteer.
Source: Vanguard