General
Acting SEC DG Advises Women to Break Stereotypes
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Acting Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms Mary Uduk, has urged women to continue to break stereotypes that impede their progress in the socio-political set up of the country in a bid to make meaningful impact.
Speaking in commemoration of the 2020 International Women’s Day in Abuja, Monday, the capital market guru said, “Women must be ready to challenge stereotypes. We must remove barriers that stand in the way of the progress of women and consciously take giant strides towards the emancipation of women.”
She stated further that, “When we stand together, we can achieve anything and any obstacle can be pulled down. We must support women for emerging opportunities whenever they arise and mentor them. Supporting one another is a duty we owe and must carry out every time for women to move on.”
Ms Uduk enjoined all whether women or men, sisters or brothers to consciously take giant strides towards the emancipation of women in all spheres of life as the rise of a woman is never the fall of men.
According to her, “Those of us who are older women should consciously look down and mentor our sisters, our upcoming sisters, our children so that as they grow up, we are not in competition with each other, it is always our happiness to see that those that we mentor surpass us, they do better than us, just like we like our children to do better than us.”
“Therefore, I charge all of us in this room, to please look down at all times and pull up your younger sisters, your children and bring them up to speed in the way you would like your own children to be.
“If you are not a woman, you have a daughter, or married or a girl child, therefore it is for everyone. It then provides an opportunity for us to reinforce the fact that everyone, both women and men have a role to play in building and sustaining a more gender balanced world,” she noted.
Ms Uduk said International Women’s Day is for celebrating the achievements of women and on calling for gender parity, as historically the role of Nigerian women has differed depending on religious and geo graphic factors.
“Women’s role was primarily understood as mothers, sisters, daughters and wives. These have gradually changed through the ages with the presence of women in almost every sector in Nigeria.
“Our women can be found in Medicine, Law, Engineering, Architecture, Building, Technology, Accounting, Teaching, International Relations, Aero-nautical Engineering and in Capital Market related professions,” she said.
“Regarding gender bias there is much improvement in how women are perceived and treated in Nigeria these days.
“However, there is still much work to be done, women are still being marginalized in politics, discriminated against sexually harassed in the work place. These days it has become evident that there is no such thing as bottom power.
“What you have are very hard working women that God has raised and they do well and everybody knows that it is not because of any man’s influence but because they do that in their own right as hard working women,” Ms Uduk added.
In her remarks, Leadership and Management Consultant, Dr Karmell Andzenge, said as the world celebrates the woman, the men are also celebrating themselves as without the men the women cannot be and vice versa.
Ms Andzenge said equality is a respecting point where the women respect the men and the men also respect the women and therefore urged men to support women beginning from the homes.
She, however, lamented that women are still not treated equally in some instances adding that some cultural and harmful traditional practices have to be done away with.
The International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world on March 08 and the day is focused on celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and for highlighting challenges that women face in the different phase of life and we all know that, women face a lot of issues in life.
This year’s celebration marks a call to action for celebrating women’s equality.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has pledged its commitment to provide the regulatory leadership, technical coordination, and stakeholder engagement required to successfully develop and implement a robust National Action Plan on maritime decarbonization in Nigeria.
The Director General of the agency, Mr Dayo Mobereola, made this known during the National Stakeholders’ workshop on the development of a National Maritime Decarbonization Action Plan, further describing the workshop as a critical step in actualising the Federal Government’s blue economy and climate objectives.
Represented by the Executive Director, Operations, Mr Fatai Taiye Adeyemi, the NIMASA DG underscored the significance of the IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project, a technical cooperation initiative /designed to support developing countries in implementing the IMO GHG Strategy.
According to him, the National Action Plan being developed will reflect national realities, leverage existing capacities, address identified gaps, and align with broader economic and environmental priorities of the federal government.
Mr Mobereola stressed that “this transition is not merely about compliance with international obligations, it is about safeguarding our marine environment, protecting public health, strengthening the blue economy, and ensuring that our maritime industry remains competitive and future-ready”, the DG said.
Also speaking at the event was the Technical Manager of the IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project, Ms Astrid Dispert, who highlighted that the overarching objective of the initiative is to advance a coherent and globally aligned regulatory framework to accelerate maritime decarbonization.
She also emphasised that NIMASA plays a pivotal role in driving the project at the national level.
The IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project provides technical expertise and institutional support to assist countries in developing and implementing National Action Plans that promote sustainable shipping practices, encourage investment in clean technologies, and strengthen capacity for long-term emissions reduction.
Through this collaboration, the federal government is advancing deliberate steps towards maritime decarbonization, reinforcing its commitment to global climate goals and ensuring a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable future for the sector.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to comply with its digital submission process effective March 1.
The directive was contained in a circular signed by the Director-General of the Bureau, Mr Adebowale Adedokun, noting that the move was part of the bureau’s commitment to digital transformation and paperless governance.
It explained that the transition followed an earlier circular of Aug. 4, 2025, which introduced electronic submission procedures.
According to the bureau, it has successfully moved from physical filings to a dedicated e-mail service for document submissions and is now advancing to a more robust and integrated system.
The circular announced the inauguration of the BPP Digital Submission Portal, a web-based platform designed to enable MDAs submit procurement-related documents directly to the Bureau.
It stated that the automated platform would streamline the submission process, enhance transparency and ensure accelerated tracking of procurement-related documents and petitions.
“With effect from March 1, all MDAs will be required to use the portal to submit requests for ‘No Objection’ Certificates, approvals for ‘No Objection’ for special procurements, clarifications and status updates on submissions,” the bureau said.
It added that the portal would be hosted on the Bureau’s official website and would become fully operational from the effective date.
The bureau warned that physical submissions or manual hand-deliveries would no longer be prioritised and would eventually be rejected following the full transition to the digital platform.
It urged accounting officers to brief their procurement departments and ICT units on the development to ensure seamless processing of procurement activities from March 1.
It further advised MDAs to contact the Bureau via its official email for information on the onboarding process and integration into the portal.
The bureau emphasised that full compliance by all MDAs was required to ensure a smooth transition and avoid delays in the implementation of the 2026 fiscal year procurement processes.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Senate has asked President Bola Tinubu to remove the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Mr Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, from office.
The Senate Committee on Finance, while passing a resolution in Abuja on Thursday, accused Mr Magaji, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), of failing to honour the Senate’s invitations to account for the finances of his agency.
“He refused on so many occasions to honour our invitation to appear before this committee.
“We have issues with the reconciliation of the revenue of CAC.
“Each time we invite him, he gives us excuses,” the Chairman of the committee, Mr Sani Musa, said as the committee passed the resolution.
CAC was part of a group of agencies that the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recommended zero allocation for the year 2026, for allegedly failing to account for public funds appropriated to them.
The committee, at an investigative hearing held two weeks ago, accused CAC and some other ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of shunning invitations to respond to audit queries contained in the Auditor-General for the Federation’s annual reports for 2020, 2021 and 2022.
The PAC chairman, Mr Bamidele Salam, stated that the National Assembly should not continue to appropriate public funds to institutions that disregard accountability mechanisms, saying this will create fiscal discipline and strengthen transparency across federal institutions and conform with extant financial regulations and the oversight powers of the parliament.
“Public funds are held in trust for the Nigerian people. Any agency that fails to account for previous allocations, refuses to submit audited accounts, or ignores legislative summons cannot, in good conscience, expect fresh budgetary provisions. Accountability is not optional; it is a constitutional obligation,” he said.
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