Federal Executive Council resolutions for Wednesday 17th April 2013

Briefing State House correspondents immediately after the Federal Executive Council meeting, the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku said that prior to the commencement of the FEC meeting, the Principal Secretary to the President, read the citations of four new Commissioners of the Federal Civil Service Commission, after which the Oath of Office and the Oath of Allegiance were administered on them.

The news Commissioners were:
Mr. Emmanuel Chimezie Ihedioha – (Abia State, presenting Abia and Imo States); Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Agatha Etoue – (Anambra State, representing Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu States); Professor Aminu Diyo Sheidu – (Kogi State, representing Kogi and Kwara States); and Hon. (Evang.) Hope Odhulum Ikiriko (JP) – (Bayelsa State, representing Bayelsa, Rivers and Delta States).

Maku said that the President urged them to demonstrate commitment and integrity in the discharge of their duties and wished them success in their new assignments. The President called for collaboration between the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) and the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) to ensure that all states were well represented at all levels in the Civil Service to facilitate equitable appointments to senior positions such as the office of the Permanent Secretary. He also called for the development of a mechanism that would ensure that only persons of high competence and integrity attained the top echelon of the Civil Service.

Maku said after the swearing-in, he presented a memorandum to seek council’s approval for the 2013 Ministerial Platform (MP) to commence from Tuesday 14 May, to Thursday 20th June, 2013.

The MP, according to Maku, is a follow-up to the 2012 edition and is proposed to be a Mid-Term Progress Report of the Administration’s Transformation Agenda as implemented across all Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) to keep Nigerians abreast of Government’s policies and projects.

Whereas the 2012 edition of the MP mainly focused on MDAs’ visions and plans, the 2013 Platform woul dwell on concrete, physical and verifiable achievements of Government’s programmes and projects by the MDAs that are replete all over the nation.

This year’s MP presentations are expected to be practical and succinctly descriptive, backed with requisite visuals, clips and pictorials.

This year’s MP would provide opportunity to sensitize Nigerians on the key achievements of the current Administration and to make the citizens to appreciate the gains of the President’s Transformation Agenda.

Being a Mid-Term Report of the President’s stewardship deserves intensive publicity in the mass media. Therefore, it is imperative that MDAs collaborate more with the Ministry of Information particularly in engaging more electronic media platforms to transmit presentations live to Nigerians, on NTA, FRCN, VON, AIT, Channels, Silverbird and several private radio stations across the country.

‘It is instructive that in subsequent months, the plethora of achievements of the current Administration should be adequately publicized, both at home and abroad to get most Nigerians informed of what this administration had done and is doing for the development of the country and the welfare of the citizens’, the Information Minister said.

After deliberations, council approved the commencement and duration of the 2013 Ministerial Platform from Tuesday 14th may, to Thursday 20th June, 2013.

The council also approved that Ministries, Departments and Agencies collaborate effectively with the Ministry of Information to engage additional media platforms for live broadcast of this year’s Ministerial Platform to reach as many Nigerians as possible at home and abroad.

Maku further told journalists that the Minister of Science and Technology briefed the council on the progress and challenges of his ministry in the year 2012.

Source: FMI