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Tag: Abubakar Bagudu

  • Kebbi to restore water flow to Argungu fishing festival river

    Kebbi Government on Tuesday said it had taken measures to restore water flow in Matan Fada River, the site of the Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival.

    Gov. Abubakar Bagudu, who said this when he visited the the river for on-the-spot assessment of the water situation, directed the state Ministry of Works to mobilise equipment to the river to restore water flow.

    Bagudu, who attributed the dryness of the river to climate change, also directed that the flow of water be restored to revive the festival, enhance dry season farming and improve supply of portable water to the people.

    The Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Samaila Mera, had earlier told the governor that the dryness of the river had caused tension among the people as it had affected their ways of life.

    He said the situation had not been witnessed for decades, stressing that the dryness of the river had resulted in the destruction of marine life.

    He said the emirate had communicated the development to the management of the Rima River Basin Development Authority for necessary action.

    The Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival was last held in 2009.

    The internationally recognised festival was said to have begun in the 16th century.

    The event, which went through changes and modifications, was first celebrated in 1934 to mark the end of the centuries-old hostility between the Sokoto caliphate and the Kebbi kingdom.

    The four-day event, marked by pomp and ceremony, draws national and international tourists.

    More than 5,000 fishermen gather close to the river and at the sound of a gong, they all dive into the river to fish with their traditional nets and gourds.

    The person who catches the biggest fish gets a prize.

    A cross section of the people in the area, while interacting with our correspondent, expressed shock at the sudden dryness of the river, saying that it had been a source of pride to the Kabawa tribe and other people in the state.

    NAN

  • Kebbi, Ministry partner to revive Argungu fishing festival

    Kebbi, Ministry partner to revive Argungu fishing festival

    Gov. Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi says the state and the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture are collaborating to revive the Argungu fishing festival in the state.

    The Governor disclosed this in Birnin Kebbi whike interacting with a team of journalists on facts finding mission on the agricultural revolution and other developments in the state.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed had led the newsmen to Kebbi to showcase and assess the agricultural revolution being championed in the state through the Federal Government Anchor Borrower Scheme.

    Bagudu said that the Argungu fishing festival, which was last held in 2009, was suspended due to challenges of Boko Haram insurgency.

    He said the then government found it expedient to suspend the annual festival due to its susceptibility to insurgents attack because of the huge crowd it attracted.

    “The government suspended the festival until we are confident that the situation is back to normal, even though Kebbi state was not all that affected by the insurgency.

    “Since last year, we are confident that the situations are back to normal and we have been working with the ministry to revive the festival.

    “But, of course you always avoid the rainy season and there are a lot of things to be put in place like the infrastructure and the accommodation that have decayed in the course of the suspension.

    “We are working hard to ensure that all these are back in order and the sponsors are up to date in order to make it as international as possible to attract the widest audience,” he said.

    Read Also:  Kebbi govt releases 2.5 billion to pay pensioners

    The Newsmen reports that the Federal Government identified the cultural, tourism and creative industry as one of the major sectors to diversify the economy.

    The Federal Government has been formulating policies and taking actions to unlock the huge potentials in the sector.

    The Argungu fishing festival is one of Nigeria’s internationally recognised cultural and tourism attractions.

    The festival, which has been inscribed in the World Heritage list, was said to have originated in the 16th century.

    Argungu festival, which has undergone several changes and modifications, was celebrated in 1934 to mark the end of the centuries-old hostility between the Sokoto caliphate region and the Kebbi kingdom.

    The four day event is marked by pomp and pageantry and draws national and international attention.

    At the beginning of the major event, over 5,000 fishermen and women gather close to the river and at the sound of a gunshot, they all dive into the river to fish.

    The fishing equipment used is the traditional nets and the gourds made from calabash.

    They are joined by canoes filled with drummers, plus men rattling huge seed-filled gourds to drive the fish to shallow waters.

    Vast nets are cast and shoals of fish are harvested.

    The person who catches the largest fish is awarded prize money of about 7,500 US dollars.

    In the year 2005, the winner caught a fish weighing 75kg, the biggest fish that have been caught in the festival till date.

    The festival also includes canoe racing, wild duck hunting, barehanded fishing, diving competitions and swimming.

    The festival usually marks the end of the growing season and the harvest.

    After the annual event, the 1.6 kilometre stretch of the Argungu River is protected throughout the year.

    NAN

     

  • “Lake Rice caused huge demand for Nigerian Rice”

    “Lake Rice caused huge demand for Nigerian Rice”

    The Kebbi State Governor, Alh. Abubakar Bagudu,  on Tuesday disclosed that the partnership agreement with Lagos State to produce the popular Lake Rice caused huge demand for local rice in the country.

    Bagudu said the inter state co-operation between Kebbi and Lagos state governments made many Nigerians to appreciate local rice consumption, especially for its nutritional benefits and affordability.

    The Governor, who spoke while briefing the media at the Government House canvassed for greater collaborations among state governments to help achieve nationwide food security and promote national development.

    “The people of Lagos saw it as a good product better than the imported ones. That created demand for Nigerian Rice in general, not Kebbi rice because they have an enlightened market.”

    Bagudu, who acknowledged the acceptance by the Lagos State traders said the traders often determines mood of the nation in terms of product.

    “They supported the programme and demand was created,” he added while citing the subsidy on rice sales by the State government.

    He said the millers, through partnership with the state government benefitted from federal government intervention.

    “Just last week, I had a meeting with traders association and millers in Daleko, Iddo and other markets. They shared their experiences and they were absolute and categorical that the Nigerian Rice is better than imported ones. We spoke about how to make it better through better supply chain and make it affordable.”

    Speaking on the Anchor Borrowers Programme  (ABP), he said before it extended to other states, 70,000 Kebbi state rice farmers piloted the project.

    He said this became imperative to examine the impact, adding that for the 70, 000 farmers, they got six bags of fertiliser each, summed to 420, 000 bags.

    The governor noted that 140, 000 water pumps were required at two pumps per farmer, adding that the input supply affected the model.

    “The objective of the model is to have Nigerian rice which later beat Nigeria’s imaginations and it contributed to our exit from recession in a short time.

    “Secondly, it was targeted to create employment which it did. When you give 70,000 farmers supports, there are bound to be defaults. Farmers are businessmen like in other sectors,” he said.

    Justifying why agriculture should be treated as a business, Bagudu cited instance of Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) which got N4 trillion funding from the federal government solely to clear bad debts.

    “When the AMCON was created in 2010, it was to take over bad loans from the commercial banking system. It was paid N4 trillion. That money was not agricultural related, it oil and gas and share certificates.

    “So that spending of N54 billion has resulted in the magic we have seen in terms of food production, I think it is a bigger story than the occasioned repayment challenges,” he said while calling for greater support for the agricultural sector.

  • Kebbi, FG partners to revive Argungun fishing festival

    Kebbi, FG partners to revive Argungun fishing festival

    Kebbi State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Bagudu, yesterday said plans have reached advanced stage with the Federal Government to revive the popular Argungun fishing festival.

    The governor said, the fishing festival was earlier suspended in the state due to Boko Haram insurgency.

    Bagudu, who spoke during media briefing in Kebbi, revealed on going moves to seek supports from both private and public sector to boost the tourism sector and make the festival an international affair.

    “We always avoid the raining season and there are lots of infrastructure decay and  accommodation problem because of the suspension, so we want to upgrade them all. That’s what we are doing with the federal ministry of Information,” he said.

    The governor called for greater funding for the sector, especially through the Anchor Borrowers Programme ( ABP ) to increase rice production in the 36 states.

    According to him, the N54 billion disbursed for the ABP across the federation was insufficient, thus need for the federal government to consider upward review of the loan.

    Bagudu insisted that the N54 billion was very little compared to what’s alloted to develop other sectors such as banking as well as oil and gas sectors.

    “Let me use this medium to call for more greater lending to agriculture and better public support. For instance, NNPC indicated that fuel subsidy alone is about N180 billion. Yet, lending to agriculture to farmers across 36 states is just N54 billion,” he added.

    While calling for massive investments in Agriculture, he said, “countries that achieved food sufficiency spent decades supporting agriculture, subsidizing among other producer supports.”

    The Governor, who acknowledged water as major challenge, said rice farmers cultivated on 400, 000 hectares of land.

    He said cost of purchasing fuel increased to as high as N300 per litre, which according to him led the state government to partner with major fuel stations and the Kebbi State Assembly to subsidise the product.

  • We will deliver local rice below N10,000 per bag – Bagudu

    We will deliver local rice below N10,000 per bag – Bagudu

    Gov. Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi says the state will work together with farmers and millers under the Federal Government’ Anchor Borrower Programme to deliver local rice below N10,000 per bag.

    The governor gave the assurances Sunday night in Birnin Kebbi at a dinner hosted in honour of the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

    The minister is on a two-day working visit to Kebbi with a team of journalists to showcase and assess the government agricultural revolution.

    Bagudu who commended the President Muhammadu Buhari led Government policy on rice called for more investments by the public and private sector.

    The governor said that the mobilisation of 70,000 farmers and N11 billion spent on the pilot scheme had yielded so much dividends and attracted national and global attention to the state.

    He said in addition to the two major rice milling factories – Labana and Walcot – , there were so many small and medium scale millers springing up in the state.

    Bagudu disclosed that Labana and Walcot rice milling factoriies had N55 billion demand for paddy.

    The governor also disclosed that the Dangote group recently visited him and were concluding plans to set up a rice milling factory in the state.

    He said the partnership between Kebbi and Lagos states on rice value chain that produced the Lake rice had solved the challenge of glut by providing ready made market for farmers.

    The governor, who is the Chairman Presidential Task Force Committee on Rice and Wheat Production noted that the level of investment in the state had proved that agriculture is the easiest sector for diversification

    He said the huge investments had also shown the confidence the investing community had in the Buhari’s administration.

    For his part, the minister appreciated the governor for honouring him and members of his entourage.

    He said Kebbi’s goal is to be a trailblazer in using the Anchor Borrowing Programme to transform the agriculture sector.

    Mohammed said the programme aimed at food production, job creation, income generation and self sufficiency had been a tremendous success the state.

    The minister said he led the media to the state to show to the world that the government agriculture policy is working and yielding results contrary to the claims of naysayers.

    Besides agriculture, the state commissioners gave score cards of the giant strides of the governor in roads, health, infrastructure development, culture and information technology.

    NAN

  • FG to provide cheap funds to farmers – Emefiele

    FG to provide cheap funds to farmers – Emefiele

    The Federal Government will provide cheap funds of not more than five  per cent to farmers who wants to acquire agricultural equipment and feeds.

    The Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele,  made this known on Thursday at the official launch of  Mitros  Ofada Rice in Abeokuta.

    Emefiele said the cheap funds  would help conserve foreign exchange as “we will no longer depend on foreign exchange to import agricultural produce.’’

    The apex bank  governor,  who identified lack of fish feeds as a major setback for fish farmers, also said the Federal Government would offer support to them.

    Emefiele commended Gov. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun  for  the initiatives to create jobs and boost food security.

    “The Central Bank will continue to support anybody who makes an attempt to grow our agricultural sector.

    “ This is because by doing this, we provide food and jobs for our people and in doing this, we grow our economy.

    “Ogun State continues to demonstrate the urge to support the focus of the government to create jobs and grow the economy.

    “ A country that does not take agriculture seriously is naturally an unserious country.

    “We have a lot of people who wants to go into fish farming but the major problem is fish feeds. Be rest assured that if you identify yourself, you will be counted and we’ll support you,” he said.

    Also speaking, Kebbi State Governor, Abubakar Bagudu,  said the Federal Government had been taking  steps to revamp the agricultural sector so as to ensure food sufficiency.

    Bagudu, who is the Chairman of the  Presidential Task Force on Agricultural Commodities and Production, said  all the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, have the capability to grow  rice.

    “With rice, I believe we can achieve what we have achieved,  even with a commodity like crude oil  because around the world, about 600 million metric tonnes of rice are  produced every year, and in Nigeria, we are still having a little less than 10 million.

    ” Our land size estimated by the Rice Farmers Association indicated that there are about 12 million rice farmers.

    “ This suggests that even if an average yield per farmer is the modest five  tonnes, that means  we should be producing 50 million tonnes, not under 10 million tonnes we are currently producing.

    “ Nigeria has the ability to produce rice competitively,’’ he said.

    Amosun, in his speech, said that the inauguration of mitros rice is an investment in the mission to rebuild the state.

    He said  the state had  attracted over 70 per cent of industrial investment, adding that his  administration would continue to partner with the Federal Government and private sector in boosting  food sufficiency  in the country.

    The governor  added that production of  Mitros rice had  also helped in creating jobs for farmers in the  state.

    “The Mitros ofada rice and other rice that we grow are planted, processed and packaged  by farmers from Ogun, ” he said.

    He urged  the people of  the state to partronise Mitros rice during the festive period instead of  foreign rice.

    The rice comes  in 50kg, 25kg,10kg, 5 kg and 1 kg bags.

    NAN

  • FG sets aside N5bn for local miners

    FG sets aside N5bn for local miners

    The Federal Government has set aside N5 billion to empower artisan miners across the country as part of measures to ensure participation of all Nigerians in economic development.

    The Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, disclosed this on Saturday when he inspected the gold mining site at Garin Awal at Fakai Local Government Area in Kebbi State.

    “We have N5 Billion in Bank of Industry for the use of small scale artisan miners, not only for self-equipping but to contribute to the economic development of Kebbi state and Nigeria, so that our economy will grow,” he said.

    Fayemi explained that ISS-Hass Ltd, a Chinese mining company, has been in the community exploiting gold for more than three years, but had failed to develop the area by establishing schools, building roads, as well as providing portable water and employment for the youth, as part of an agreement entered into with the company.

    He promised to investigate the allegations against the licensed operator in Garin Awal Village, Fakai Local Government of Kebbi State for alleged breach of agreement reached with the host community.

    “We have seen what our artisan miners can do, which professionals in this business failed to achieve. That is from the very little efforts they are putting in place with their own efforts, digging and organising themselves.

    “What we need is to enter into partnership with the state, to assist these miners, so that they could have land to operate, technical support as a way of improving their productivity and ensuring that they utilise the equipment beyond exploring mercury and finally support them through the Bank of Industry,” he said.

    The minister, who expressed disappointment over the lack of commitment of licensed operators, said “ the provision of the law stipulates that licensed operators must provide community support and this must be captured in an agreement, which we call Community Development Agreement.

    “The  village head has told us that all the things they promised, none of them were done. No school, they have not seen anything. They just did rudimentary road that provides access for the operators,” he said.

    In his remarks, the state governor,  Abubakar Bagudu, expressed appreciation to the President Muhammadu Buhari administration for its good policies, saying they had made the state to excel in agriculture.

    Bagudu said the people  o the state were ready to replicate the same achievement in the mining sector.

  • Measles vaccination: Kebbi deploys 215 special teams to border towns – official

    Measles vaccination: Kebbi deploys 215 special teams to border towns – official

    The Kebbi Government has deployed 215 special measles vaccination teams to effectively cover communities at the border of Benin and Niger Republic in the state.

    Hajiya Halima Dikko, Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Health , said this during the official inauguration of the 2017/2018 measles
    vaccination campaign on Saturday in Bagudo.

    Dikko said the state had trained and deployed 1131 teams for the entire exercise, adding that the exercise commenced on Nov. 9 in 11 local government areas (LGAs) of the state.

    She said the exercise was in two phases, with 11 local government areas benefiting from the first phase.

    These LGAs are: Bagudo, Dandi, Danko Wasagu, Fakai, Koko Besse, Ngaski, Sakaba, Suru, Yauri and Zuru.

    She added that the state would mop up and review the exercise before the commencement of the second phase of the exercise, which begins on Nov. 19 and ends on Nov. 24.

    Dikko said the second phase of the exercise would be conducted in Aliero, Arewa, Argungu, Augie, Birnin Kebbi, Bunza, Gwandu, Jega, Kalgo, and Maiyama local government areas.

    According to her, the state intends to vaccinate not less than 850,000 children at the end of the exercise.

    Similarly, the State Governor, Sen Abubakar Bagudu, urged traditional leaders and other key stakeholders to support the exercise.

    He, however, appealed to the leadership of herdsmen and fishermen, to ensure that all eligible children, especially the children around border towns are adequately vaccinated against measles.

    Bagudu said Bagudo local government area was one of the largest local government areas in the state, adding that the local government shared borders with Benin Republic

    According to him, there was high influx of people from the neighbouring Benin and Niger Republic through Bagudo.

    While speaking on behalf of the partners, Mr Yahaya Akuso, State Coordinator, National Primary Health Care Development Agency commended the timely release of funds for the exercise.

    He reiterated that the commitment of partners to work with the state would bring better health outcomes.

    NAN

  • Gov. Bagudu pays condolence visit to emir

    Gov. Bagudu pays condolence visit to emir

    Gov. Abubakar Bagudu has paid a condolence  visit to the Emir of  Yauri, Dr Zayyanu Abdullahi,  over  the recent  boat mishap and outbreak of epidemic  in the  emirate.

    The Chief  Press Secretary to the Governor, Malam Mua’azu Dakingari,  said this in a  statement  on Wednesday  in Birnin Kebbi.

    That scores of people were killed recently in a boat mishap and cholera outbreak in the emirate.

    Dakingari quoted the governor as expressing concern over  the frequent  boat mishap and outbreak of epidemics in the state.

    He, however, assured the emir that necessary measures would be  taken  to forestall further loss of lives  in the state.

    Responding, Abdullahi  thanked the governor for the visit and attributed  the last boat mishap to non-adherence to marine safety rules by an operator who had earlier received a warning  of impending storm.

    The emir  also urged the governor to look into the issue of  bad  roads in Yauri,  especially between  Koko  and  Yauri,  as well as the challenges of accessing potable water, electricity and medical services at the General Hospital.

    Abdullahi further  expressed  concern  over  what he considered  the non-challant  attitude of the Nigerian Inland Water Ways Authority  to removing grasses, trees and stones in rivers, saying this was hindering  effective  water transportation.

    NAN

  • Kebbi is the most peaceful state in the history of Nigeria – Okorocha

    Kebbi is the most peaceful state in the history of Nigeria – Okorocha

    The chairman, Progressive Governors Forum, Chief Rochas Okorocha, has described Kebbi as the “most peaceful state in the history of Nigeria.’’

    Okorocha made the statement on Tuesday in Birnin Kebbi, when he led members of the forum on a courtesy visit to the Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Muhammadu Bashir.

    “Kebbi State has track record of being a peaceful state since its creation,” he said, and commended Gov. Abubakar Bagudu and the people of the state for boosting the production of rice and wheat.

    He expressed satisfaction that Kebbi had placed Nigeria’s name on the map of countries in the world producing rice.

    Okorocha said that members of the forum were in state to hold their meeting  billed to commence on Tuesday.

    He said the meeting would deliberate on the various challenges facing the country and seek ways of assisting the Federal Government come out with policies that would have positive impact on the lives of Nigerians.

    The chairman commended Gov. Bagudu for his efforts to revive country’s economy through agriculture.

    He urged the people of the state to continue to support Bagudu’s administration to enable them enjoy the dividends of democracy.

    He thanked the emir and his council for their contributions to the development of the state and country.

    In his remarks, the emir said that he always consulted other traditional rulers before approving policies that would affect the lives of his people.

    He thanked the governors for the visit and urged them to continue to implement policies that would benefit the people.