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One Year Anniversary; How National Productivity Centre Is Aligning with President Tinubu’s Agenda
BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF.
The National Productivity Centre NPC leadership under Dr Nasir Raji Mustapha has strategically aligned and synchronized by reviewing its activities/plans for 2021-2025 with the 8 priority areas under the present administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Renewed Hope Agenda.
The decision to revise it’s strategic direction was to enhance a productive society, efficiency and economic prosperity across all sectors in tandem with the new administration that came on board in May , 29, 2023.
With a focus and template of inculcating the Performance Management System (PMS) into the public service that led to the convening of ‘performance bond’ by the present administration particularly the top government officials, that is impacting positively one year down the line.
The ‘performance bond ‘ introduced by the Renewed Hope Agenda administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has opened a chapter of healthy competition among Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government evidenced in the ongoing sectoral presentation of score card to mark the one year anniversary.
With the initiatives, among many other activities of government, no doubt in the last one year, there has been significant change in government activities that will guarantee national development, with the centre playing a pivotal role to drive growth and development on the long run.
The centre through research, training and capacity building in line with it’s mandate had embarked on thorough consultations and assessment to ensure the goals and activities are in line with the strategic vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The National Productivity Centre with proactive measure and decision will strengthen its programs so as to impact the relevant economic , political and policy thrust of the present administration in line with the new goals.
No doubt, in the last one year, the centre has not only redoubled its statutory roles and functions, but through advisory roles advocated the introduction of ‘Performance link wages’ to the public service to enhance genuine productivity.
The performance link wage will not only encourage performance, but will douse agitations for frequent wage review, as public service will be operated on the performance of workers at all levels through remuneration not minding gades and salary levels.
With the new template, workers on the same grade level will be rated and remunerated on ‘performance ‘ in line with what is obtainable in developed and developing countries with Nigeria not left out, to sustain economic growth and sustainable development.
The centre in line with the Presidential goals also proposed the automation of the entire system and process to reduce to the barest minimum human interference, so s to enhance transparency and accountability in the public discourse and system.
To match words with actions , the centre during it’s recent 5th National Productivity Summit advocated on the application of “Science, Technology and Innovation” , as panacea to both social, economic and political prosperity in accordance with the global practices.
Having articulated the 8 priority areas and streamlined with the mandate and initiatives of the centre, it is obvious that subsequently alot would be achieved by the present administration capable of reviving all facets of our National life.
A coalition of youth organisations has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to reconsider its wanted tag on socialite, Dr Aisha Sulaiman Achimugu, OFR.
The organisations, Niger Delta Youth Council for Good Governance and Middle Belt Youth Stakeholders’ Initiative said this in a joint press statement they issued on Thursday in Abuja.
According to them, the declaration of Achimugu wanted by the anti-corruption agency came to them as a rude shock.
The joint statement was signed by Comrade Emma Niboro and Ali Ameh for Niger Delta Youth Council for Good Governance and Middle Belt Youth Stakeholders’ Initiative, respectively.
They described Achimugu as a dedicated friend of the youths, who had always shown commitment to the welfare and care of the downtrodden.
According to the youth coalition, “we know the Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, as a man who came with utmost zeal to sanitize the agency. He has already demonstrated this and we are proud of his achievements so far.
“However, we urge him to resist pressure from politicians, which is a plague that has dwarfed EFCC for several years of its existence.
“The commission had hitherto remained a tool for politicians to undue their perceived political foes and this has always rubbed off on the credibility of the agency.
“The case of Achumugu doesn’t appear to be different in any way, as the haste with which she was declared wanted showed there is a hand of Esau and voice of Jacob.
“Our appeal is that the commission should withdraw the wanted tag on her and give her ample time to report to the commission, as she has never been indicted of any offence whether in Nigeria or outside the country.”
While noting that Achimugu is a global figure, they added that they can always vouch for her integrity.
“We know her, she has always been of immense help to the youths and other members of the society.
“Her closeness to certain politicians should not be used as a tool to persecute or harass her,” the youths further stated.
The Supreme Court has overturned the Court of Appeal’s decision that recognised Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP). In a decisive ruling, a five-member panel declared that the Court of Appeal lacked the legal authority to determine the party’s leadership matters.
In a unanimous verdict, the highest court in the land stated that the Court of Appeal had no jurisdiction over the matter. The panel observed that since the case revolved around the internal leadership structure of the Labour Party, it fell outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
The ruling reinforced the long-standing principle that leadership disputes within political parties should be resolved internally, rather than through judicial intervention.
The Supreme Court stressed that leadership struggles within political parties are purely internal matters. According to legal principles, courts should not interfere in such issues, as they fall under the party’s constitution and governance framework. By upholding this legal doctrine, the apex court reaffirmed that political parties must settle their leadership crises independently.
The Supreme Court upheld the appeal lodged by Senator Nenadi Usman and a fellow appellant, ruling that their claims were valid. Their appeal challenged the earlier judgment, arguing that it was flawed due to jurisdictional overreach. After thorough legal scrutiny, the Supreme Court found merit in their argument and ruled in their favour.
The legal battle also involved a cross-appeal filed by supporters of Julius Abure, who sought to challenge the decision against their leader. However, the Supreme Court dismissed this cross-appeal, declaring it unsubstantiated and lacking merit. The ruling effectively ended the legal contest over the Labour Party’s chairmanship, cementing the judiciary’s stance on non-interference in party leadership disputes.
Bitcoin experienced sharp fluctuations following President Donald Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement, initially surging to $88,000 before dropping to $82,000.
By April 3, it stabilized around $83,000, with the broader crypto market down over 4%. Major altcoins like Ethereum and Solana also declined over 6%, hitting multi-month lows.
Analysts see the tariff news as reducing market uncertainty, potentially attracting institutional investors.
Despite higher-than-expected rates, experts believe the clarity could help Bitcoin regain momentum toward $90,000. Bitcoin ETFs, led by BlackRock, recorded $218 million in inflows on April 2, reversing prior outflows.
Kraken’s Thomas Perfumo challenged the idea that institutional interest stabilizes crypto, emphasizing that volatility signals demand for a scarce asset.
Some analysts viewed the sell-off as an overreaction to trade policy concerns, highlighting Bitcoin’s resilience as a store of value.
With ETFs showing strong demand, Bitcoin’s price may stabilize and rise, though market participants remain cautious, monitoring trade policies and economic conditions.