FG Plans To Integrate Local Govt Marriage Registries – TheNigerialawyer

The Nigerian government has said it is exploring the possibility
of integrating marriage registries operated by local governments
into its online platform so as to bring them in conformity with the
Marriage Act.

This is coming barely three weeks after the Nigerian government
had introduced a new Federal Marriage Certificate for all types of
marriages in the country

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Georgina Ehuriah,
disclosed this today in Port Harcourt, River State, while declaring
open a one-day sensitisation conference on the conduct of statutory
marriages in Nigeria with the theme: “Achieving Harmonious
Compliance in the Conduct of Statutory Marriage in Nigeria“.

According to a release signed by the director of press of the
ministry, Mohammed Manga, the government has declared its intention
to set up marriage registries in all the 36 state capitals in the
country to ensure uniformity in the conduct of statutory
marriages.

She said arrangements are in motion to establish new federal
marriage registries in Umuahia, Abia State and Uyo in Akwa Ibom
State, in order to address the challenges faced by couples in the
South-South and South East Zones.

“The Ministry is presently considering some of the
recommendations made by stakeholders in the course of the
conference like, extending the validity period for licences issued
to places of worship for the celebration of marriages as well as
downward review of the fees payable by couples for conduct of
statutory marriages in federal marriage registries,” she said.

She also said that a machinery has also been put in place for
the amendment of the Marriage Act to adequately meet the needs of
the 21st century

According to her, arrangements are on-going to give couples
whose certificates were not issued in line with the Act the
opportunity to bring them to conformity.

Conference

Earlier in his welcome address, the Director, Citizenship &
Business Department, of the Interior, Stephen Okon, said the
Conference was necessitated by the challenges faced by citizens
because of wrong documentation of their marriages which have led to
series of litigations.

Mr Okon said that the conference is aimed at creating more
awareness on issues surrounding conduct of valid statutory marriage
as well as bringing about conformity with the law and uniformity in
the activities of the marriage registries across the nation.

He called for synergy among stakeholders to build a harmonious
collaboration that would help in resolving issues militating
against the sanctity in the conduct and documentation of statutory
marriages in the country.

The event, which marks the end of the first round of the
workshop on the conduct of statutory marriages in the country, had
earlier been held in Abuja and Lagos.

NYSC trains 700,000 Corps members, disburses N540m to
325 Corps entrepreneurs

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has trained 700,000
Corps members in various Skills acquisition and disbursed not less
than N540 million to 325 corps entrepreneurs.

The Director General of the NYSC Brig. Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim,
stated this in a media parley held at Barcelona Hotels in
Abuja.

He said the scheme has achieved tremendous successes in its bid
to help address the problem of graduate unemployment, while also
fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship among the youths in the
country.

“So far, over 1,132,409 Corps members have been sensitized and
over 700,000 have undergone various forms of skills training under
the ‘Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development’ (SAED)
programme,” Gen. Ibrahim said.

The NYSC boss, who also disclosed that the Scheme is already
collaborating with national and international organisations towards
providing material, technical and financial support for the
programme, explained that the SAED programme is designed to equip
Corps members with requisite vocational skills so as to develop
their business and entrepreneurial capacities.

“Presently, Corps members are being trained in skill areas such
as Agro-Allied, Food Preservation and Processing, Culture and
Tourism, Cosmetology, Information and Communication Technology
(ICT), Environment, Beautification, Construction, Education, Power
and Energy, Film and Photography, and Automobile Technology,” he
said.

The NYSC Director General, spoke also noted that a number of
skill acquisition centres have also been established across the
country for the post-camp training of Corps members.

Brig. Gen. Ibrahim, stated that the BOI-NYSC Graduate
Empowerment Fund, which is a product of our partnership with the
Bank of Industry (BOI), is yielding encouraging results with the
sum of over N540 million so far disbursed as loans to 325 Corps
entrepreneurs.

He added that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in partnership
with Heritage Bank has disbursed N15,000,000 to seven Corps members
under the NYSC/CBN ‘Youth Entrepreneurship Development’ (YEDP).

The NYSC boss said: “Through our public-private partnership
drive, Access Bank has undertaken and completed the building and
furnishing of a 1000-capacity mega skills training centres for the
North East geo-political zone located in Gombe. In the same vein,
the American multi-national, General Electric in conjunction with
the International Labour Organisation (ILO) under the Cognity
Advisory Partnership has trained 40 NYSC staff who are now ILO
certified ‘Business Entrepreneurship Trainers’.

“In addition to this, a significant number of NYSC staff have
also benefitted from international capacity building training in
China, America and Europe which has tremendously boosted the
training and mentoring of Corps entrepreneurs. We have also
successfully staged a skills and entrepreneurship development
festival during which Corps members from all States of the
federation and the FCT converged on Abuja to showcase their
entrepreneurial skills through competitions and products
exhibition.

“In line with the Federal Government’s policy of diversifying
the economy through harnessing the country’s potentials in the
non-oil sectors and our desire to contribute towards ensuring food
security, the Scheme is resuscitating its farm settlement across
the country.”

Gen. Ibrahim, asserted that the full computerization of the
mobilization process which started with the 2014 Batch ‘C’ service
year, has facilitated real-time generation of various reports on
Corps data, use of biometrics for the monthly clearance of Corps
members in all States of the federation and the FCT, automated
printing of Certificate of National Service, Exemption Certificate
and Exclusion Letters embossed with passport photographs, together
with the biometric verification and registration during orientation
programmes, among others achievements.

On safety of Corps members, the NYSC Director-General, stated
that the Scheme is in continuous liaison with various security
agencies with a view to ensuring the safety of corps members
wherever they are serving in the country, disclosing that the NYSC
Distress Call Centre (DCC), which was established in February 2012,
is fully equipped with communication facilities that are manned 24
hours daily to ensure timely and well-coordinated response to calls
from Corps members who find themselves in distressed situation
through contact with the nearest security agencies and other
relevant stakeholders.

His words: “In view of the strategic importance of the facility
and the desire of the Scheme to meet current challenges, we have
transformed it to an information centre with operational lines.
Just last month, we got additional toll-free line from 9mobile to
further strengthen the operations of the centre.

“With this development, the centre in addition to responding to
distress calls from Corps members, staff and members of the public,
also provides information on the operations of the Scheme to the
Corps members and other stakeholders.”

By PRNigeria^[1]