Agriculture
May Day: President Buhari promises workers better packages
President Muhammadu Buhari has assured workers of better packages to cushion economic effects of COVID-19 on their resources. The President said his administration has put in place some socio-economic policies to alleviate poverty. Buhari said the Federal Government has expanded the Conditional Cash Transfer for the vulnerable poor from 2.6 million households to 7.6 million. He also noted COVID-19 Rapid Response Register has been expanded for urban poor to 4.8 million households, which included urban poor and working class. The President spoke during this year’s May Day celebration at the Eagle Square on Saturday in Abuja. This year’s celebration had as its theme: “COVID-19 pandemic, social and economic crisis: challenges for decent jobs, social protection and people’s welfare”. Buhari, wh...
Oyo governor unveils agriculture electronic centre in Ibadan
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has inaugurated Africa’s first agricultural electronic centre, an innovation provided by Farm Konnect Agribusiness Nigeria Plc in Ibadan. A lot of dignitaries in and outside the state were in attendance at the epoch event, which took place at the Basorun area of Ibadan. Amongst the dignitaries include the Oyo State Chief of Staff, Chief Bisi Ilaka, the Director-General Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency, Dr Debo Akande, Ekiti State Commissioner for Agriculture, and his Osun State counterpart, the representatives of the federal government, bank officials, investors and others. Speaking at the event, Governor Makinde commended FarmKonnect for bringing such an innovation that will change the face of agriculture in the country and Africa as a whole to ...
Ex-President Obasanjo: Investment in agric will curb youth restiveness
Former president Olusegun Obasanjo, has advised the Federal Government to invest sufficiently in agriculture as a strategy to curb youth restiveness in the country. Obasanjo, who spoke yesterday in Abuja, at the flagged off of new tractors to boost farm mechanization in the country, said agriculture stands in good stead in boosting the country’s earnings. Represented by the Emir of Keffi, Alhaji Shehu Chindu Yamusa, he said: “investment in Agriculture is key to sustainable economic growth and development. Agriculture is the only way to engage the youth and make them productive.” He hailed the All Farmers Progressive Association for the laudable project of contributing significantly to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians through sustainable modern agro technology. Meanwhile, President of ...
Nigerian government tasks universities on best practices for impact as panel visits FUPRE
Nigerian universities have been charged to always comply with global best practices in terms of corporate governance, operations, benchmark, quality assurance and judicious application of resources for impact. The Chairman of the federal government Visitation panel to the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Effurun, Prof. Ikenna Onyido, stated this yesterday at the institution. Onyido argued that it was important for the federal government to at interval check the books of the various universities owned by it to ascertain compliance to the various regulations and assess their development in line with available regulations overtime. The Emeritus Professor and former Vice-Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, who led a seven-member team to FUPRE, stre...
Senator Tinubu: Terrible people want to break Nigeria’s appointment with destiny
All Progressives Congress chieftain, Bola Tinubu, says terrible people and strong forces want to break Nigeria’s appointment with its greater destiny by attacking “agricultural players” in the country, thereby creating food scarcity. He spoke on Saturday on the occasion of the 23rd to 25th convocation ceremonies of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, the Benue State capital. Tinubu was also awarded a honorary doctorate at the event by the university Senate and Governing Council. The former Lagos State governor said, “We approach a defining moment as a nation. A reckoning of special importance beckons. We must decide whether to give the truest meaning to our national motto “peace and unity” or we allow the agents of destruction and merchants of violence to have their way with us...
Wheat farmers bemoan $6.1 billion annual import, laud CBN restriction on forex for importers
The Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN) says about $6.1 billion is spent yearly to import wheat into Nigeria. The President of the association, Alhaji Salim Muhammad, made this known at a news conference on Wheat Forex in Abuja on Thursday. Muhammad commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over the policy that placed wheat on Forex restriction. He described it as an impressive policy and a welcome development. According to him, Nigeria consumes 5 million metric tons of wheat per annum, while a meagre 420,000 tons is produced locally. He said that in view of numerous challenges that plagued local production, the policy would enable the government to unlock the unrealised potentials in the wheat sub-sector. “The forex restriction policy will give relevant stakeholders the confiden...
Minister calls for transformation of food system
Minister of Environment, Dr. Muhammad Abubakar, has called for the transformation of the food system to aid rejuvenation of soils and forest covers. Speaking at the 14th National Council of Environment virtually held with the theme: “Managing Emerging Environmental Challenges: Need for Strategic Approach to Sustainable Development in Covid-19 Era and Beyond,” the Minister said: “There is urgent need to transform our food system which has been the major factor in the issue of loss of biodiversity, fresh water and deforestation with its attendant effects on climate change. It is therefore, expected that pertinent issues of climate smart agriculture and agro ecological practices that will aid rejuvenation of soils and forest covers, among others,are discussed during this meeting.” He noted th...
Official: Kaduna vaccinates 6,250 dogs against rabies
The Kaduna State Government has successfully vaccinated 6,250 dogs to curb the manace of rabies across the state. Dr Pakachi Zakariya, the Director, Veterinary and Livestock Services, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Kaduna on Friday. Zakariya said the vaccines were administered to dogs in the 23 Local Government Areas (LGA) “This was achieved by fixing outposts vaccination centres using our clinics and field officers across the state,’’ he said. Zakariya said that the vaccination became necessary due to the increasing number of unlicensed, unvaccinated dogs roaming the streets of Kaduna. ”The ration of dogs to humans is high in the state and many breeds are being introduced thereby adding to the dogs population. “In Nigeria, it has been reported that less than five per cent...
Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan launch new Nile dam talks in DRC
A new round of African Union-mediated talks between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan has begun aimed at resolving a years-long dispute over a massive dam built by Addis Ababa on the Blue Nile, a main tributary of the Nile river. The three-day talks that kicked off on Saturday are taking place in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the current chair of the AU. Foreign and irrigation ministers of the three nations were attending the talks over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), along with AU experts, according to Ethiopia’s Irrigation Minister Seleshi Bekele. A Sudanese diplomat was quoted as saying by The Associated Press news agency that the experts from the three countries and the AU met on Saturday, ahead of ministers who would meet on Sunday and Monday. He s...
ECWA: Terrorists tactically taking over Northern Nigeria
The Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) has raised the alarm, saying terrorist groups are tactically expanding their activities and making incursions into other parts of the North. Addressing a press conference in Jos on Wednesday on the insecurity ravaging the country, ECWA President, Dr. Stephen Panya, said “Boko Haram and ISWAP have destroyed tens of thousands of lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of Nigerians and many Christians and Christian communities have been deliberately targeted and destroyed. “It is clear that these terrorist groups are gradually but tactically expanding their activities and making incursions into other parts of the north and even beyond, and the apparent lack of unity in the fight against these terrorist groups, and the inability of government to deal...
CAN: Osun governor’s education policy review reduces tension
The Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN) Osun State chapter has lauded Governor Gboyega Oyetola for the careful review of the education policy of the previous administration which has drastically reduced tension in public schools. The association also commended what it described as the ingenious and dynamic leadership with which Oyetola has handled critical sectors of the state. This was revealed by the second Vice Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, who also doubles as the minister in charge of the Sacred Cherubim and Seraphim, Oke-Atan Ile-Ife, Pastor Elijah Fagbile, while speaking with the media at the Osun Civic Engagement Office. He emphasized that Oyetola is a man of honour whose character and personal qualities have engendered tremendous development which the state curren...
Minister: 60% of dairy products consumed in Nigeria imported
Nigeria imports at least 60 per cent of dairy products the country consumes, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, has said. Mr Nanono disclosed this when speaking at the National Dairy Policy Stakeholders Engagement in Abuja on Tuesday. He said, “Despite the potentials in the dairy industry, 60 per cent of dairy products consumed in the country is imported while the remaining 40 per cent is produced locally.” The minister said Nigeria’s per capita consumption of milk is 8 litres per year, representing very low consumption levels when compared with the global average of 44 litres of milk, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). According to him, presently, the Nigerian dairy industry is largely subsistence and consists of lo...
