Author: The Nation

Some residents of the Federal Capital Territory have began consuming food that serve as alternatives following recurring increase in prices of bread.

Many of them have also been complaining over the price increase itself, while appealing to the Federal Government to address challenges facing bakers in Nigeria.

Some of the residents told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that recurring increase in the price of bread has deprived a lot of families the opportunity of eating it at will.

Mrs Esther Oluniyi, a mother of four and civil servant said bread used to be the only affordable and available ready to eat food for most Nigerian households.

Oluniyi added that with the recent increase in the price of bread, it has now become an unaffordable and unavailable food item on every family’s table.

“The bread I used to buy for N500 about two months ago is now N700 to N800.

“Before, I used to buy two to three loaves per day, but now I can only afford four loaves per week, which means our consumption of bread has reduced and the business for the seller is dying.

“I have replaced bread with yam and egg, pap and akara,” she said.

Oluniyi however appealed to the government to look into the cost of bread and find a lasting solution.

Mrs Sukanmi Johnson, a mother of three, also a civil servant, said a lot of families now have alternatives to bread due to the recent increase in the price of bread.

“I now have an alternative to bread for me and my children. Instead of buying bread everyday, we now rotate it with potato, yam, pap, spaghetti and other types of food,” Johnson said.

She said it would be good for the government to assist farmers to cultivate wheat in Nigeria so Nigeria would not depend on other countries for wheat importation.

“I believe that the earlier we start eating what we grow and grow what we eat, the better it would be for the country.

“I know that it was the recent increase in the price of raw materials for bread production that made the price of bread to increase.

“So, there is need for the government to help manufacturers reduce cost of production,” Johnson said.

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Bisi Divine-Grace, a seven year old pupil said the recent increase in the price of bread has forced her parents to reduce the number of loaves they eat per day.

“We now take three slices of bread for breakfast instead five to six that we normally eat.

“If you want to take more than three slices, mummy will be shouting bread is now expensive o,”
Divine-Grace said.

Ms Peace Okhuasogie, the Manager of Nextar Bakery said the recent increase in the price of bread has affected bakers’ production level negatively nationwide.

According to Okhuasogie, because of the increase, most bakeries in the FCT have been forced to close down.

“And the ones that are not closed down are struggling to continue production,” she said.

Okhuasogie however appealed to the government and other private sector stakeholders to intervene urgently in the sector which she said “is about to collapse”.

(NAN)

The Commissioner of Police Abia State Command, CP Janet E. Agbede, has presented cheques worth Twenty-one Million, Four Hundred and Seventy-Seven thousand, and Fifty Naira, Eighty kobo (N21,477,050. 80k) to next of kins of Ten (10) deceased Police Officers who died while in active service.

The check presentation which took place on 23rd June, 2022 at the command headquarters was on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba.

This largesse is part of the IGP’s ongoing Group Life Assurance Welfare Scheme to the families of deceased Police officers for 2020/2021 Policy Year, SP Geoffrey Ogbonna, the Command’s PRO said in a statement.

The Commissioner of Police who was represented by ACP Jane Mbanefo while presenting the cheques to the next of kins, appreciated the Inspector General of Police for the gesture and described it as timely and will go along way in alleviating sufferings being faced by families of deceased Police officers.

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The CP further assured the IGP that, Officers and men of the Command will continue to put in their best to ensure more robust commitment and hard work in the discharge of their duties for sustained security and safety of the State and Nigeria at large.

The Commissioner of Police therefore charged the beneficiaries to utilize the money judiciously, noting that the gesture will serve as morale booster to the serving members of the Force in order to enhance their productivity.

“One of the benefiting families, Justice E. John, who spoke on behalf of other beneficiaries thanked the Inspector General of Police for the gesture and promised to utilize the money judiciously.

“The Cheques’ presentation ceremony was witnessed by the Command PRO, the Command Insurance Officer and other Staff Officers at the Command Headquarters, Umuahia.”

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has dedicated an award it received from the African Union Commission (AUC) to President Muhammadu Buhari.

In its first Africa SME Annual Forum held in Cairo, Egypt, at the weekend, the African Union awarded the NDDC as the best “intervention agency for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Livelihood Support”.

The AU’s acting Director for Industry, Minerals, Entrepreneurship and Tourism, Charles Newton Chiumya, said NDDC was recognised for the maiden award for supporting and promoting SMEs and livelihood in the Niger Delta and Africa particularly among women and youths.

The Interim Administrator, NDDC, Dr. Effiong Akwa, who received the award attributed the latest feat by the NDDC to Buhari’s commitment to rebrand and restructure the commission for optimum performance.

Dr. Akwa, who was represented at the event by his Special Adviser, Youths and former Commissioner in Bayelsa State, Engr. Udengs Eradiri, said the global recognition was an eloquent testimony that the NDDC despite its challenges had over the years impacted positively on the livelihood and economic empowerment of Niger Delta, Nigeria and Africa.

He said while people expressed mixed feelings in Nigeria about the performance of the commission, global institutions and organisations could only appreciate the efforts of the NDDC to promote industrialisation through its support for SMEs.

Dr. Akwa said: “This award is dedicated to President Muhammadu Buhari for his commitment to rebranding and restructuring the NDDC for optimum performance. I feel elated because truly, the NDDC over the years has been contributing immensely without blowing its trumpet to people’s wellbeing.

“Whereas some people back home throw stones at the NDDC, the commission’s positive impact is receiving global recognition. It means that the NDDC has actually done well in developing the Niger Delta and also creating impact in the lives of its people.

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“The NDDC has done a lot despite criticisms. Let’s cast our mind back to where we were before the creation of the NDDC and where we are today. Communities that didn’t have roads before are now accessible by roads.

“People now have access to healthcare, schools and most people’s lives have changed because of the NDDC. People who didn’t have water, light , jetties have them because of the interventions of the NDDC. While some people are throwing stones at home, internationally we are getting recognition”.

Dr. Akwa said the award would motivate the NDDC to do more for the Niger Delta by reviewing qualities of its projects, programmes and infrastructures in line with the recommendations of the forensic audit report.

He said: “The award will motivate the NDDC to do more and in doing more, we must target set goals. In the next five years where do we intend to be in SMEs development? Where do we intend to be in terms of roads? What kind of hospitals should we be building?

“The recognition is an awakening to the NDDC to know that people are observing us. The forensic audit report will help in this restructuring. The report has looked at the factors bedeviling the NDDC and has come up with recommendations. Those recommendations if implemented and a new board is constituted in line with the recommendations, we are very hopeful that the NDDC will be on the speed lane of progress”.

The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has cancelled contracts awarded to the Express Concern International (ECN) for the training of ex-agitators in its novel Train, Employ and Mentor (TEM) scheme.

PAP in a statement signed at the weekend by Neotabase Egbe, the Special Adviser, Media to the Interim Administrator, Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (retd), confirmed that the firm’s job was terminated for breaching the terms contained in the contract.

The statement followed an allegation by a group, Concerned Indigenes of Oil Mineral Producing States Forum (CIOMPSF), that the company diverted funds it received from PAP.

But Egbe said even before the group issued its statement, PAP had terminated the contracts of the defaulting firm.

He said the amnesty office had also activated its internal mechanism to retrieve the money it paid to the firm through a performance bond provided by the company.

While acknowledging the interests shown by various stakeholders in the affairs of PAP, Egbe explained that under Dikio each job awarded by PAP was secured by a performance bond provided by the benefitting firm that enabled the amnesty office recover its money in an event of default by a contractor.

The statement said: “The attention of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has been drawn to reports that a contractor, Express Concerns International Limited, has diverted money paid to them to train 90 ex-agitators in the agriculture value chain.

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“Indeed, the PAP had contracted Express Concerns International Limited to train its beneficiaries. But the contract was terminated via a letter dated June 14th, 2022 because the contractor breached the terms of the agreement.

“Contracts are not awarded to just any body who submits a proposal, but to serious contractors, who have the capacity to deliver their contractual obligations.

“However, each job awarded by PAP has an insurance bond that ensures the scheme recovers its money in the event of default by contractors. Consequently, the PAP wrote to the guaranteeing firm/insurance company for the recovery of the mobilization fee paid to the company.

“While the management of the PAP acknowledges the interests shown by various stakeholders in the affairs of PAP, let it be known that deliberate measures were put in place to reform contractual processes and block all loopholes that could be capitalized upon to dupe the programme.

“To all our concerned stakeholders and the general public, there is nothing to worry about as your concerns had been anticipated and taken care of through the various reforms initiated by the administration of Col. Dikio (rtd).

“We want to further assure all stakeholders that PAP’s contracts are designed for the benefits of the programme’s beneficiaries and not for the enrichment of any contractor”.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 22 blocks of heroin weighing 23.55kilograms concealed in packs of Nestle Cerelac baby food at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

The consignment with a street value of over N4.5billion came from Johannesburg, South Africa on board a South African Airways flight on Wednesday 29th June as part of a consolidated cargo that arrived the SAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport.

Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters Abuja, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

Babafemi said after series of follow up operations that led to the arrest of two freight agents, the actual receiver of the drug consignment, Chike Okeke Eweni who distributes the substance for his South Africa based partner was arrested the following day, Thursday 30th June at a logistics warehouse in Ajao Estate, Ikeja.

He said, Chike who hails from Anaocha LGA, Anambra state claimed during preliminary interview that he’s also into fish farming.

The statement reads, “Before the arrest of Chike, NDLEA officers at the airport had on Monday 27th June arrested a former driver with a public transport company, BRT, Muyiwa Babalola Bolujoko for ingesting 90 pellets of cocaine. He was arrested at the screening point before boarding a Qatar Airways flight en route Doha to Sharjah, with his trip expected to terminate in Dubai, UAE.

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“The 39-year-old from Ijebu South LGA, Ogun State, was placed under excretion observation after body scan result confirmed drug ingestion. While in custody, the suspect excreted all the 90 pellets in four excretions. He claimed he left his N60, 000 per month job as BRT driver in February and decided to work as drug courier to raise funds to buy a shuttle bus popularly called ‘Korope’ in Lagos to continue his transport business.

“Operatives also on Thursday 30th June intercepted an inbound consignment of khat leaves, which arrived the NAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport on Royal Air Maroc flight from the Middle East. A total of 71 cartons of dried khat leaves with a gross weight of 2,434.3 kg were discovered in the cargo.

One thousand, nine hundred and seventy-nine prospective pilgrims from Kaduna State have left for Saudi Arabia for the 2022 Hajj.
They are part of the 2,600 slots allocated to the state by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).

The State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Agency’s Public Relations Officer, Malam Salisu Anchau, gave the figures to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Kaduna.

He said that the pilgrims were from 18 out of the 23 local government areas of the state.
Anchau identified the local governments concerned as Kaduna South, Kajuru, Makarfi, Jama’a, Igabi, Zaria, Ikara, Giwa, Soba, Lere and Kagarko.

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Others are Kaduna North, Kudan, Kaura, Zangon Kataf, Sanga, Kachia and Chikum.
The official said that the prospective pilgrims from the areas were transported to Saudi Arabia in five flights.

Anchau assured that the remaining 621 would be taken to Saudi Arabia within the stipulated time frame.

He said the Executive Secretary of the agency, Malam Yusuf Arrigassiyu, urged the pilgrims to be good ambassadors of the state and the country while in the holy land.
Arrigassiyu also urged them to pray for peace and stability in the state and Nigeria. (NAN)