Author: The Nation

• By Gboyega Alaka

The Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST) has urged the Federal Government to strengthen food standards and safety systems to reposition Nigerian foods for global acceptability.

Speaking at the 9th Regional Food Science and Technology Summit/NIFST Day Celebration in Lagos, the National President of NIFST, Prof. Abu Oneh, led the call on Thursday.

With the theme: “Repositioning Nigerian Foods for Global Market Accessibility,” Oneh, who was represented by First Vice-President of NIFST, Dr Bola Osinowo, said the key challenges facing Nigerian foods in the global market were issues of food safety.

Oneh said the challenges faced by the food sector included lack of awareness of the socio-economic importance of food safety, inability to enforce compliance with local, regional, international standards and global best practices.

Other issues, he noted, were inadequate infrastructure and resources to support scientific risk analysis and upgrading of food safety regulatory system.

 “We are also faced with an inefficient food supply chain, standard method of produce inspection, grading food safety and poor traceability system customised to Nigerian conditions for both large and small scale growers.

 “There is an urgent need to strengthen the existing food standard and safety systems at the federal, state and local level, to achieve a safe and reliable food supply chain within Nigeria and beyond,” Oneh said.

He therefore advocated for policies from the national to the global level needed to support the transition toward sustainable food and farming systems in a coherent and targeted manner.

Oneh said ensuring stakeholder coordination as well as creating a standard system for food safety inspection, origin tracking and nutrition labelling was necessary.

“Nigeria spends a huge amount of scarce foreign currency on importation of various food products compared to what it earns from export.

 “We need to promote locally processed foods globally, because this will not only boost the economy of the country but also increase the availability of healthy locally sourced foods in a sustainable manner,” Oneh said.

Chairman, NIFST Lagos Chapter, Mr Olugbenga Aina, said the need to encourage local industries and farmers on the key indicator of food accessibility which included crop production, market access and diet diversity could not be overemphasized.

He noted that the demand for Nigerian food globally was on the increase, adding that the food had to meet standard dietary needs for active and healthy life.

Speaking on food safety and security, Mrs Veronica Alaba, Chairman, Local Organising Committee, NIFST, said farmers should always use the right fertilisers for planting crops and desist from using harmful chemicals to ripen fruits, noting that such could cause severe health issues for consumers.

An NGO, Hacey Health Initiative (HHI) with support from Access Corporation, as part of effort to address poor health seeking behaviour among pregnant women in Kaduna State, has provided 1000 pregnant women with maternal health and financial literacy training.

Hacey Health Initiative also provided the women with birthing kits; a package that included every necessity required in the delivery room.

Addressing the women at the training and distribution center in Zaria, Coordinator of HHI in Kaduna, Barrister Jennifer Agbaji, said the training was meant to build capacity of the pregnant women in order to reduce needless maternal deaths.

“HHI is currently implementing “Project Agbebi” in two states of Kaduna and Delta, as well as the FCT in this second phase. The first phase targeted three states of “Oyo, Osun and Ogun where they reached 3000 pregnant women.

“Under the project, Hacey is also creating community-based support groups for pregnant women to continue to provide them maternal health and financial literacy training and give access to safe and free birthing kits in all project communities.”

Agbaji emphasised the importance of them taking good care of their health before, during and after pregnancy, adding that it will reduce the risk of pregnancy complications, help the growth and development of their baby, and improve their health and wellbeing.

She urged them to always consider their finances as they prepare for their baby’s arrival, noting that pregnancy and the postpartum period come with significant financial demands that require careful planning.

“It’s important to start saving ahead for the expenses you will need to cover in the coming months, including emergency savings. Unexpected expenses can drain your finances, and having a reserve for expenses like this can go a long way in reducing financial stress”, she said

Speaking at the event, Executive Director of HACEY, Rhoda Robinson, who emphasised the importance of health education and awareness, said “it is crucial to take a comprehensive approach that addresses the underlying factors contributing to poor maternal and neonatal health outcomes. Ensuring that pregnant women have access to quality healthcare services is critical.”

Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, the Head of Sustainability at Access Corporation, said encouraging pregnant women to seek ante-natal care throughout their pregnancies can greatly reduce the risk of maternal and infant mortality.

Niger State Governor, Rt. Honourable Umar Bago, has revoked all land allocations within government designated areas across the state and suspended all forms of employment into the services of both the state and local governments.

It would be recalled that before the end of the previous administration, there had been allegations over the sales of government lands and properties by the government to organisations and individuals, which the government denied, stating that the allegations were rumours and false.

These directives were contained in two different letters by the Ministry of Lands and Housing and the Office of the Head of Service dated 9th June 2023.

According to the letter by the Ministry of Lands and Housing signed by its Permanent Secretary, the governor had given an Executive Order for the revocation of all land allocations within government designated areas across the state.

“These areas, which include the River Basin Land at Sabon Wuse, the three Arms Zone, City Center Minna, the New Bypass at Kontagora and Forestry Lands at Kontagora are hereby revoked.

“Additionally, Certificate of Occupancies issued in favour of IBB University at Suleja, Maximum Shelter Suleja, Dumez Suleja, Abuja Steel Extension (Cityscape Land) at Dikko and a filling station along Keteren Gwari, are equally revoked.”

The letter by the Office of the Head of Service signed by the Niger State Head of Service, Engineer Abubakar Salisu and addressed to all Heads of Parastatals and Extra Ministerial Department stated that all forms of employment into the services of both state and local governments should be suspended until further notice.

All inter-service transfers and change of cadres were also suspended until further notice.

Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani has engaged with the ambassadors of Kuwait and Qatar to Nigeria, Abdelaziz Albisher and Dr. Ali Bin Ghanem Al-Hajri in a bid to form a strong partnership between the state and the Middle East nations towards investment drive to Kaduna.

Governor Sani’s Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Lawal Shehu, who disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, said the partnership was aimed at addressing social issues and facilitating investors’ engagement with the state, thereby fostering economic growth and development as part of efforts to make Kaduna a reference point of investment in Nigeria.

Shehu said the engagement is also expected to bring about significant improvements in the lives of Kaduna State residents, by providing better access to essential services and creating more job opportunities.

According to him, “The meeting between Governor Sani and Ambassador Albisher took place on Friday, 9th June 2023 at the Kuwait Embassy in Abuja.

“Governor Sani expresses his commitment to promoting sustainable development in Kaduna State by leveraging international partnerships like this one with Kuwait. He believes that these collaborations will help enhance the state’s capacity to address social issues effectively and attract more investors, ultimately leading to improved socio-economic conditions for the citizens.

“During the meeting, Ambassador Albisher expressed his country’s strong interest in collaborating with Kaduna State to tackle pressing social issues and create an enabling environment for investors.

“In a related development, Governor Uba Sani met with the ambassador of the State of Qatar, His Excellency Dr. Ali Bin Ghanem Al-Hajri to re-energise the economy of the state and mobilise additional resources to address its developmental challenges.

“The meeting took place at the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Abuja and was attended by Governor Sani’s leader and predecessor, His Excellency Malam Nasir El-Rufai.

 “The purpose of this high-level meeting was to discuss potential collaboration between Kaduna State and the State of Qatar in various sectors to enable the State Government harness additional resources and expertise needed to tackle pressing developmental challenges.

“On his part, Ambassador Al-Hajri expressed his appreciation for Governor Sani’s commitment to strengthening ties between Kaduna State and Qatar, and assured of Qatar’s readiness to support Kaduna State in its quest for sustainable development by sharing its experience and expertise in various fields.

The Deputy Governor of Benue State, Barrister Sam Ode has denied media reports that there is a new security outfit in the state.

The opposition People’s Democratic Party  (PDP),  had raised the alarm through a press statement issued by its state Publicity Secretary,  Bemgba Iortyom, who alleged that the Benue State government has launched a new security outfit with a repented  Boko Haram inmate as Head.

But addressing journalists in Makurdi on Friday night, the Deputy-Governor of Benue State, Barr. Sam Ode, stated that the allegations from the PDP as reported by a newspaper, was totally false and malicious .

Ode said: “The report false and baseless is fashioned by the opposition PDP with the sole aim of demeaning the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the overwhelming victory Benue people gave to the party in the 2023 general elections..

The Deputy Governor urged the good people of the state to ignore the plot by mischievous elements of the opposition to drag Rev. Fr. Alia-led administration into a non-existing controversy.

“No Fulani security outfit was launched in the state and the government of the state at no time approved the launch of any security outfit.

The number two citizen of the state further explained that he did not authorise anyone to represent him or the state government at any Fulani security summit or commissioning of an outfit.

Ode assured the good people of the state that the APC-led administration in the state under the leadership of Fr. Alia will do everything humanly possible to live up to its obligation by protecting the lives and property of the citizens as manifested in his series of collaboration with the conventional security agencies to ensure the return of IDPs to their ancestral homes.