The Nigerian AgriBusiness Group (NABG) and other relevant stakeholders in the agriculture sector have resolved to deploy climate-smart agriculture to improve food productivity, create jobs and fight the scourge of poverty in Nigeria.

This was made known at a two-day stakeholders workshop on developing a national framework for climate-smart agriculture in Abuja with the theme “Cleaner, safer, rewarding agriculture.”

The programme aimed at promoting agribusiness advocacy for smallholder farmers’ project known as the SSPs project, is a three-year programme funded by the Bill Gates Foundation under the Policy Advocacy to drive the scale and inclusion of smallholder farmers (SMF) in Nigeria and improve food security in the country.

In his remarks, President of NABG, Emmanuel Ijewere, said the rationale for putting up the programme is to put in place a framework that will enable the country to address the issues of climate change.

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Ijewere noted that the aim is also to create a sustainable agricultural framework, so that Nigerian youths can have an opportunity to work and reduce importation of food, while using the land more efficiently through technology.

He added that Nigerians must employ technology, knowledge and training to move away from oil, recognising the fact that agriculture is the future, as 70 percent of the citizens are in the sector and their lots must be improved.

He also noted that despite the threat of insecurity, Nigerians should not allow insecurity to dampen their enthusiasm to produce food and reduce food insecurity in our country.

Director General of NABG, Dr Manzo Maigari, said it has become incumbent on all stakeholders to embrace the climate-smart agriculture because of the value it adds to productivity and the potential to reduce the risks faced by farmers.

He noted that the climate-smart agriculture has been developed to help farmers mitigate the impacts of the climate change.

NABG Council member, Alhaji Muhammadu D. Abubakar, said the essence of climate-smart agriculture is to promote better yields with minimum efforts and also protect the environment. He also called on all stakeholders to sustain their commitment to make the initiative more beneficial.

In a bid to boost the study in Public Governance and Leadership, the University of Abuja, Thursday, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ugwumba Centre for Leadership Development in Africa.

The University of Abuja was among the universities selected by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund to implement its Centre of Excellence in Public Governance and Leadership.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Director of the Centre, Prof Philip Afaha, said  the choice of the Ugwumba Leadership Center was based on the impact the Centre is making in leadership and enterprise development across the country.

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He announced that with the collaboration of a private organisation like the Ugwumba Leadership Centre,  the Centre of Excellence in Public Governance and Leadership, would do more in equipping Nigerians with clear-cut leadership principles for national development.

Addressing the director and his team, Remy Chukwunyere, the Executive Director of the Ugwumba Centre for Leadership Development in Africa, announced that the university made the right choice by nominating the Centre for the collaboration, adding that “our core mandate is to raise a new generation of leaders and entrepreneurs for Africa, starting from Nigeria”.

He informed that since inception in 2018, the Center has supported over 5,000 Nigerian youths in realising their dreams of contributing to the Gross Domestic Product in the country by becoming business owners and employers of labour through training and financial assistance.

During the ceremony, the Abuja Leadership Centre, also signed an MOU with the Association of Legislative Drafters and Advocacy Practitioners of Nigeria to be able to collaborate with them in their Public Governance programmes.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Farouq has called for the effective and proper monitoring of the components of the National Social Investment Programme, NSIP, at all levels in order to achieve set targets.

The minister, who made the call yesterday while flagging off training for Stream 2 Independent Monitors of the NSIP and issuance of tablets and engagement letters to  94  Monitors in Birnin Kebbi, noted the important roles Monitors play in ensuring the success of the programme in the state.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Ismaila Mainasara Shinkafi, the minister pointed out that “the NSIP Independent Monitors are responsible for monitoring the programme in their community, in schools, households and market clusters, with the focus of ensuring that the primary objectives of the NSIPs are achieved.

“Monitors are one of the most important components of the NSIP and the ministry lays special emphasis on ensuring its programmes are closely monitored. We have monitors in every Local Government where the NSIPs are being implemented.” she said.

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While urging beneficiaries to pay more attention on the training  programme, the minister added that “we are also working with Non-Governmental Organizations , Civil Society groups, EFCC,  that will support you in your monitoring exercise.”

Speaking earlier, the representative of the  State Focal Person, National Social Investment Programme, Hajia Aisha said the 94 monitors would be  trained and inculcated with the necessary skills and tools to help them discharge their duties effectively. She charged the beneficiary to ask questions where the need arises.

She said, “Monitoring is a very strategic management tool. It helps in evaluating and tracking programme performance in order to deliver on its desired objectives.”

In an overview of the responsibilities of the monitors, Special Adviser to the Humanitarian Minister,  Barrister Aminu Shamaki stated that the objective “is to ensure the effective monitoring of the NSIP; collect data for evidence-based decision making; to determine areas of improvement in the NSIP and to document lessons learnt.

Highlight of the occasion was  a symbolic presentation of engagement letters and tablets to the monitors.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State has been lauded for making a good choice in nominating a former Managing Director and Chief Executive of Sun Trust Bank, Jibrin Muhammad Barde as its governorship candidate for next year’s general election because of his untainted track record and genuine love and concerns for the less privileged in the state.

A statement yesterday by his media office in Gombe stated that the Gombe State treasury is already in red as a result of the recklessness of the incumbent administration, but thankfully, the next governor of the state (Muhammad Barde) is a man that is financially disciplined who will display and run a fiscally responsive administration with priorities on people-oriented schemes rather than white elephant projects initiated to steal public funds.

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It added that the future of the state and the well-being of her citizens would.be given priority and not satisfying the pockets of a few individuals at the expense of millions of Gombe people.

The statement reads in part: “By the grace of Almighty Allah, the PDP candidate in Gombe State, Mr Jibrin Muhammad Barde will be sworn in as the next governor next year, and he would clean the mess being created by the All Progressives Congress administration.

“It is so easy for us to market his candidacy because of his track records and his empathy for the people. Here is a man who, over the years has empowered both men and women, young and old in different forms.

“Even though the state Treasury has been mismanaged and burden of debts kept increasing, the financial responsiveness of Barde as evident in the companies he had built all the years, he will no doubt resuscitate the comatose state of the Gombe economy and sustain it, making it viable to compete with other states such as Lagos in terms of human capital development and infrastructure.

“We urge all the good people of Gombe to make a good choice in the forthcoming election by voting for the PDP at all levels for a better life for the people.

“We call on all our people to go out in their numbers to register for their voter’s cards and also pick them up so they can exercise their franchise in sending the APC government packing for the damages they have done against them.”

The Kwali Area Council, in partnership with a pharmaceutical company, Biomedical Limited, has commenced mass deworming exercises for no fewer than 16,800 pupils.

The exercise, which is targeted at children between the ages of two and five, will also be extended to 12 states of the federation, according to the sponsors.

At the flag-off of the programme in Kwali yesterday, the Marketing Manager of Biomedical, Watson Olojo said the deworming exercise was designed to mark the 40th anniversary of the firm.

He said the objective was to deworm children in order to provide nutrients that are required for their physical, mental growth and performance in schools.

Olojo said: “This programme is targeted for 16800 doses of anti-worm drugs in Kwali Area council. There is a particular age group that is being targeted and that is between two to five years of school-based pupils.

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“One of the things we really recognised for biomedical Limited is the fact that we have transformed from lifesavers to live in infancy companies and the school-based deworming is just one of them.

We have done some community-related programs to support feeding, to say and they are recognised as some of the most special festivals and moments.

“This is what we are going to be doing in 12 states and this is the fourth state we’re implementing. Our target for here is 16, 800 students.”

He further said the company was looking at 450,000 children across the 12 states.

The Etsu of Kwali, Alhaji Shaban Nizazo III, who was represented at the event by Chief Victor Obashono said the programme was a wonderful one that would go a long way in providing the necessary nutrients for the children.

While commending Biomedical for the gesture, he said: “It is going to improve the health status of children in the sense that health is wealth and a healthy child is going to produce a healthy knowledge so it is going to help them a lot.”

Representative of the FCT Primary Health Care, Aisha Bello commended Biomedical for keying into the programme to facilitate what the FCT was doing.