The Nation Newspaper

Tag: boost

  • Health care delivery receives boost

    PharmAccess Foundation, a leading non-governmental organisation has entered into partnership with Nigeria Healthcare Excellence Award (NHEA 2017) in a bid to improve access to better health care in Africa.

    Speaking on the essence of the partnership, the Project Coordinator of NHEA, Dr. Shola Alabi, say: “We were very excited to welcome PharmAccess on board last year and are happy that they will be continuing the partnership this year. Their commitment and steadfastness to improve health care in Nigeria cannot be over-emphasised.”

    Alabi also reiterated the fact that nominations for the 4th edition of the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Awards (NHEA 2017) are still ongoing. He called on stakeholders in the health sector to visit www.nigeriahealthawards.com.ng to either make their nominations online or download the nomination form.

    Country Director PharmAccess Mrs. Njide Ndili, spoke about their motivation for supporting the award. “This is our second year of partnership with NHEA to recognise excellence in health care quality. At PharmAccess Foundation, our objective is to facilitate innovation to improve access, efficiency in service delivery with continuous and sustained improvement in health care, especially for the low-income communities in Africa in general and Nigeria in particular.

    “NHEA presents one of those credible platforms to recognise and reward excellence supporting these objectives.”

    Winners of the various categories will be honoured on Friday, June 23, this year at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos. Nominations will close on May 26, before the commencement of online voting to enable the award jury to select the winners of the various categories.

    About 23 awards and recognitions will be presented at the ceremony. The awards comprise three main categories namely Special Awards, Healthcare Delivery Services and Biomedical Technology.

    PharmAccess Foundation mobilises public and private sector resources for the benefit of health care providers and patients through clinical standards and quality improvements, loans for health care providers, health insurance, health innovations and operational research.

    NHEA is organised by Global Health Project and Resources (GHPR) in collaboration with Anadach Group, USA.

  • A health boost in Plateau constituency

    A member of the House of Representatives Hon Solomon Maren has strengthened health facilities in Bokkos/Mangu constituency of Plateau state, which he represents.

    The lawmaker, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) serving his first term at the House, made his constituents happy when he donated medical facilities to a hospital in Bokkos Local Government Area as well as to  Mangu General Hospital in Mangu Local Government Area.

    Hon. Maren said, “My decision to supply these health facilities to these two hospitals is for two basic reasons; first, it is part of my free medical outreach for my people, secondly it is to uplift these hospitals because the last time I came to these hospitals for a free medical outreach I was not impressed with the state of facilities in the hospitals, they were in such deplorable conditions that if left that way they will not be able to deliver quality health care to rural people.

    “You remember, during my last medical outreach when we carried out surgery on 148 persons, the facilities at the hospitals were obviously inadequate for a comprehensive medical programme that I intended. And I vowed to myself that before I return here fo another free medical outreach, I must do something about the poor facilities in these hospitals. Today, I’m here with those facilities to equip the hospitals because the health status of people of my constituency is important to me.”

    The lawmaker a complete set of metallic sterilisers used for sterilising surgical equipment. Until now, the hospital in Bokkos lacked the equipment, a situation that compelled its management to often take surgical kits to Jos or Pankshin for sterilising.

    Other facilities donated were stethoscopes, blood pressure monitoring machines in each wards complementing the only one in the cottage hospital. There were other items donated by the lawmaker, including mattresses.

    Hon Maren also kicked off his youth empowerment programme by providing a take-off grant for 150 youths whom he had earlier trained in skill acquisition in Gombe, Ibadan and Ilorin.

    The lawmaker said, “The youths are the working class in any society, and for them to be useful to the society, they need to be empowered, hence I sent them for skills training outside the state. But the training alone will not be enough; they need capital to start their business. With the startup fund I’m providing for them today, these youths have become self-employed. This is just the second batch because in 2016 over 300 youths benefited from a similar programme. Another group of youths will soon be sent on training outside the state”

    The beneficiaries were trained in bakery, weaving, knitting, juice making, food preservation, fashion design, tailoring and hairdressing, among others.

    Senator Jonah David Jang, who witnessed the event, urged Governor Simon Lalong to look into his administration’s handover notes, which he said, contained the list of all equipment needed for all upgrades and renovation of general and cottage hospitals in the state.

    Senator Jang said, “This is not an issue of politics anymore, it is time to look into the pain of our people. I urge Governor Simon Lalong to looked into our handover notes, it has the list of every equipment that is to be procured for all the upgraded and renovated hospitals in the state as time was not by our side to finish these projects.”

    The Chief medical surpritendant of Bokkos Cottage hospital, Dr. Geoffrey Kumven represented by Metron Kemza Shendam thanked the lawmaker for the gesture, appealing that the cottage hospital should be connected to the national grid for effective utilization of the donated equipments. The hospital is also in need of functional toilets and power generating sets.

    At the Mangu General Hospital, the medical superintendent, Dr. Daplet Ezra thanked the lawmaker for coming to their rescue, adding that he had, at some points, bought some of those equipment out of his own pocket.

  • Eye care services receive boost

    The nation’s health sector has received a major boost, as Skipper Seil Group, in partnership with Eye-Q, unveiled a state-of-the-art facility, known as Skipper Eye-Q Super Specialty Eye Hospital in Lagos.

    It was aimed at providing world-class diagnostic, medical, surgical and optical ophthalmic services in Nigeria.

    The facility was inaugurated in Victoria Island by the Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade in the company of President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Special Adviser on Entrepreneurship to Katsina State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Jikamshi; Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Daily Times, Mr. Fidelis Anosike and Chairman, Eko Atlantic Group, Mr. Ronald Chagoury, among others.

    According to the founder, Eye-Q Eye Super Specialty Hospital, India, Dr. Ajay Sharma, who rolled out various plans of the hospital to improve eye care services in Nigeria, said the hospital was established in order to assist Nigerians who suffer from visual impairments to regain their sight and also to save them the trouble of travelling abroad for treatment.

    Sharma, one of the most renowned eye surgeons in India, said having such a facility in Nigeria was long overdue considering the fact that 4.5 million adults in Nigeria aged 40 years and above, were visually impaired or blind, based on the National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey conducted between 2005 and 2007.

    He said: “In a bid to enable more people to access medical care, the JV-Skipper Eye-Q Nigeria-aims to improve medical services in the region. It is committed to deliver its services using the most advanced, progressive and highest standards of quality eye care at affordable price and we have a team of highly qualified and experienced ophthalmologists to provide the best possible service.”

    According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 285 million people are estimated to be visually impaired worldwide: 39 million are blind and 246 million have low vision. WHO also revealed that about 90 per cent of the world’s visually impaired live in low-income settings such as Nigeria.

    Sharma also said the hospital would invest $20 million in eye services in Nigeria through the establishment of 30 eye centres in the next few years. This, he said, would further help the country to achieve the global eye health action plan 2014–2019, which seeks to reduce avoidable visual impairment as a global public health problem and to secure access to rehabilitation services for the visually impaired.

    Already, he said Skipper Eye-Q Super Specialty Eye Hospital had started partnering with four states in the country, namely Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Cross River to improve their ophthalmology clinics and upgrade their facilities.

    According to him, the hospital will be involved in the training of Nigerian doctors with ultra modern facilities on surgeries and different eye cares so as to enhance their performance and services. Apart from offering Corporate Social Responsibility services, Sharma also noted that the hospital will be creating jobs for Nigerians.

    Inaugurating the hospital, Ayade said Nigerians will be happy to see the actualisation, as it will help in reducing medical tourism.

    “We have intelligent and smart doctors, but the equipment are not there. Now that we have this state-of-the-art facility in place, it is an opportunity for our doctors to learn and upgrade their knowledge in eye care services”, he said.

    To enable the people of Cross River State to access quality eye care at a very affordable price, the governor said he had already signed MoU with the hospital.

    He said: “Vision is important. Without vision, you are nothing. My responsibility after the inauguration is to take the innovation and technology home. I have given a contract to the management of the hospital to replicate same in my state.”

    In his remarks, Alhaji Dangote, who expressed delight at the establishment of the facility, said his foundation will work with the hospital to provide free eye care services to the poor, stressing that provision of effective and accessible eye care services is important in order to effectively control and minimise cases of visual impairment and or blindness. He said the foundation will also support the training of doctors.

    Group President, Skipper Nigeria, Mr. Jitendra Sachdeva, said Nigeria has an alarming number of visually impaired people and therefore, needs such specialised state-of-the-art hospitals that can treat all kinds of eye ailments.

    “With the launch of this centre, we look forward to catering for the country’s population and provide best eye care facility to the people. As a community health care provider, our main focus will be on the primary and secondary eye care needs of local people of Lagos and its neighborhoods,” Sachdeva said.

    Also, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, said having Skipper Eye-Q Super Specialty Eye Hospital in Lagos remains a plus for the state as it will boost the state’s services on eye care. Apart from improving eye care in the state, Idris pointed out that the hospital will assist in building capacity locally and also update the knowledge of eye care professionals.

    He said: “We have shortage of human resources in all specialties and eye care is one of them. Establishing the hospital in Lagos State is more like a plus to us. It is a positive thing because they have compact equipment that will help boost our services in eye care.

    “I urge Nigerians to carry out regular eye check to help prevent glaucoma which causes irreversible blindness if detected late.”cate same in my state.

  • ‘How logistics firms can boost agric’

    ‘How logistics firms can boost agric’

    There are vast business opportunities for players in the logistics industry in the agricultural sector, the Technical Adviser to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs. Cynthia Umoru, has said.

    She stated this at the Strategic Management Retreat of Red Star Express Plc in Ogun State.

    The retreat entitled: “Living the big dream,” was attended by top management staff of the company.

    In her presentation titled: Agriculture as a catalyst for economic recovery, she noted that the ministry was aware of the important role of the logistics industry in the agricultural sector, adding that it has opened up the landscape for major players to participate in.

    “Our role’in this government is to push for what the government should be, to create an enabling environment for the private sector to play a major role, to create access to land, maintain fertility of the soil and make sure farm produce are easily accessible,” she said, noting that  this could only be done by encouraging major logistic players to be involved.

    She identified investment in food  chain logistics as a vital component in making agriculture and the food supply more sustainable.

    She said the sector needs logistics operators to support the government’s target of increasing food production and improving farmers’ income. This, according to her, would  help break geographical boundaries and would allow farmers to  access markets.

    Earlier, Group Managing Director of Red Star Express Plc, Sola Obabori, said if both the government and the private sector could give half of the attention they give to the oil sector to agriculture and other sectors, there would be significant improvements in the economy and stability of the fluctuating of the naira can be achieved.

    He continued: “Just like we treat our oil with seriousness, we need to treat the agricultural sector that same way. The opportunity and potential are really huge. We should be able to over produce our agricultural produce and still have ready market for them even outside the shores of this country. And we have to be on hand to facilitate the export in such a way that perishable goods can be in Europe within 14 hours after harvest, while the non-perishables can get there within three to four days,” he said.

    He said Red Star Express Group is a premium logistics solution provider in the country with unrivalled local network coverage and a large market share in the domestic and international market.

  • Group seeks training to boost local content

    Group seeks training to boost local content

    • To inaugurate NEC today

    The Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN) has said proper training of Nigerian workers is the only  guarantee toward local content development in the oil and gas industry.

    The OGTAN’s President, Dr.   Mayowa Afe stated this, adding that domestication of oil and gas trainees would save the country billions of dollars and create more jobs opportunities for Nigerians

    Mayowa gave the advice in a statement issued and signed by the OGTANS’ Director of Media Communications, Mr. John Itua, in Lagos to sensitise stakeholders on the forthcoming inauguration of the OGTAN’S national executive council slated to hold on April 13 at Eko Hotel and Suites.

    The Inauguration will have the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) as the Guest Speaker and he will speak on the topic: “Increasing indigenous participation and capacity development in the oil and gas industry – The journey so fa.r”

    The OGTAN chief said: “There is need to standardise training to get more value; training should be domesticated to handle issues that are peculiar to our environment and generate adequate human capital for our oil and gas industry and even enough for export because training is key to local content development.

    “We want to discourage portfolio trainers – people who just walk into companies to organise trainings; invite trainers and after that, walk away,” he said.

    He said OGTAN’s vision is to develop a Nigerian oil and gas training business group that interfaces with the operators, international organisations and government, to ensure a total human capacity development in the industry and the attainment of the Nigerian Content goals. OGTAN was formed with the support of the Nigerian Content division of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to address the manpower development needs of the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

    “If the majority of oil and gas trainees is done locally in Nigeria, it would address issues of foreign exchange challenges confronting the sector.  The issues of foreign exchange should be addressed through domestication of activities.

    “Government agencies, institutions, international oil and gas companies should partner with OGTAN to invest in developing trainers in-country,’’ he said.

    Mayowa noted that OGTAN which is the independent umbrella group of training service providers in the oil and gas sector was established by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Act of 2010.

    According to him, OGTAN represents the Education and Training Sectoral Group of the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum (NCCF) under section 58 of the NOGICD Act 2010, with the purpose to build local human capital capacity in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

    Mayowa said the association acts as a business group that interfaces with operators, international organisation and the government, adding that national executive council will be inaugurated in Lagos at Eko Hotel on April 13.

    “The Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Simbi Wabote, an engineer, will be presenting the keynote paper at the event. The Executive Secretaries of the PTDF and NCDMB will be honoured and decorated at the event as strategic partners of OGTAN. This is in recognition of their roles in human capacity development in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.

    “OGTAN will also be participating in the 2017 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) to enable our members interact with international training organisations with the aim of partnering with them in other to domesticate  more oil and gas trainings in Nigeria,” he said.

  • ‘Nurture MSMEs to boost GDP’

    Robust Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are drivers of growth in any economy, creating employment, value and generation of foreign exchange. In Nigeria, the MSMEs contribute substantially to the economy, hence the need to nurture them for more growth, says the Small & Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) in this report by OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE.

    The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are essential components of any healthy economy. They contribute about 48.47 per cent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the Director-General, Small & Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Dr. Dikko Umaru Radda, has said.

    The sub-sector represents over 90 percent of enterprises in most developing countries, and contributes between 40-60 per cent of the total output or value added to national economies,  Umaru Radda added.

    Radda, who spoke at an event organised in Lagos by the Enterprise Development Solution Initiative (EDSI) and supported by some state governments, said the sub-sector remained the key driver of our economy, urging the Federal Government to provide an enabling environment for them to thrive.

    He stated that a nurtured and well-structured MSME sub-sector could contribute significantly to employment generation, wealth creation, poverty reduction and sustainable economic growth.

    On the quantum of MSMEs, Umaru Radda, who was represented by the Director of Enterprise, Mr. Wale Fasanya, said as at 2013, the number stood at 37,067,416 distributed as follows, micro-36,994,578, small-68,168, and medium-4,670.

    On creation of jobs in the sector, Umaru Radda stated that the total number of persons employed by the MSME sub-sector as at December, 2013 stood at 59,741,211, representing 84.02 per cent of the total labour force.

    Underscoring the importance of the sector, he stressed that MSMEs’ contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in nominal terms stood at 48.47 percent as at the period under review while its export contribution accounted for 7.27 per cent.

    On the activities of the agency, he said it’s involved in designing programmes and projects, creating appropriate platforms and partnerships for addressing some constraints of MSMEs.

    He, however, advised that, to properly position and develop this all-important sub-sector, all the challenges militating against its optimal performance should be confronted.

    He said: “Though, MSMEs in Nigeria are still largely informal in nature, they have contributed immensely to the national economy. Several common but limiting factors have, however, constrained them over the years. These include poor access to useable funds, capital, difficulties in procuring raw materials, lack of access to relevant business information, difficulties in marketing and distribution of products. Other issues, he stated, include low technological capabilities, high cost of transportation, communication problems, problems caused by cumbersome and costly bureaucratic procedures in getting necessary approvals or licences and policies and regulations that generate market distortions.

    On how the country can come out of recession, he stated that in the face of the present economic recession, the MSMEs are expected to serve as catalyst for reversing the economic downslide. This expectation is certainly not misplaced but would have been more justifiable if an enabling environment can be provided for each of the over 37million MSMEs, he added.

    On the limitations of SMEDAN’s mandate, he said: “As a neonate organisation saddled with the enormous responsibilities of sustainably developing the MSMSE sub-sector, we are working as mandatorily permissible and operationally possible to “knock off” some of these limiters.

    He regretted that funding has always been a major challenge such as in MSMEs start-up/expansion funds, compliance requirements, workspace, equipment, raw materials and personnel, among others.

    The SMEDAN chief observed that adequate funding is also critical for the procurement of resources, human capital, technical, operational, among others, to deliver the Agency’s mandate across the country.

    According to him, the poor synergy among government institutions has also greatly limited the realisation of the good intentions of government for MSMEs.  He said the mandates and responsibilities of agencies of government usually overlap resulting in duplications, wastages and non-realisation of set out objectives.

    He also noted that the inability of MSMEs to demand/request and pay for critical Business Development Services (BDS) is another challenge. BDS are mainly non-financial services and products offered to entrepreneurs at various stages of their business needs. These services are primarily aimed at skills transfer or business advice. According to him, BDS enables MSMEs be competitive as production and products standards are regularly upgraded, adding that the rate of process and equipment obsoleteness is high.

    On the way forward, he canvassed the amendment of SMEDAN Act and the creation of a Credit Information Portal. He said the portal is intended to ease up the task of sourcing for information regarding available credit facilities for MSMEs.

    The Portal provides an information pool that will assist entrepreneurs make informed decisions in getting loans and credits from financial institutions within their locations, he stated.

    Others are a One-Stop-Shop Initiative that will be a platform to minimally reduce the bureaucracy of starting and growing an enterprise in Nigeria.  This, he explained, will allow for the enablers such as National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to synergise in the delivery of their mandates to the MSMEs.

    Others, he said, include a National Collateral Registry, which will allow MSMEs to secure loans against assets such as machinery, livestock, and inventory and will aid further the financial inclusion plans for the nation’s MSMEs.

    According to him, the Agency is also championing the establishment of an SME rating agency to enhance competitiveness and ease access to funds.  Others are market linkages that will create and grow market database for the real-time and on-time use by MSMEs.

    On access to functional workspace, he said, the Agency has initiated moves to create Small Enterprises Incubation Centre to be located within the existing Industrial Development Centres across the country. Such Centres will address the challenges MSMEs usually have to affordable utilities.

    The SMEDAN chief further canvassed stakeholders’ engagement and town hall meetings, National and State Council on MSMEs, National MSMEs Policy Implementation, among others.

    On equipment linkages, he said: “The drudgery in the production process and low capacity utilisation in some enterprises have discouraged many existing and potential entrepreneurs. One major problem aside the cost of acquisition is the dearth of information as to where the appropriate equipment can be sourced. Towards ameliorating this, SMEDAN is developing a database in partnership with both domestic and foreign equipment manufacturers, fabricators and leasers.”

  • ‘Govt’s Niger Delta peace moves ‘ll boost economy’

    Nigeria’s quest to come out of recession in the next one year is achievable if the current peace moves in the Niger Delta region are sustained, oil experts have said.

    The experts which including the Technical Adviser, Propetrol Limited, Mr Olajugbe Olabisi and the Chief Executive Officer, Abuja Power Station, Mr. Jameel Jammal, said with sustained peace in the Niger Delta region, oil production will improve and government’s revenue will increase.

    Nigeria, last week, overtook Angola as the largest oil producer in Africa, based on its current production of 2.1 million barrels of crude per day (bpd) as against about 1.7million barrels of crude oil per day by Angola.

    Before now, the country was behind Angola as a result of militant attacks on oil facilities in the Niger Delta, which dipped production to 1.604 bpd in January. The recent feat, according to stakeholders, would improve the nation’s economy. If the Federal Government and the Niger Delta region indigenes would be able to sustain the peace, crude oil production, they said.

    Olabisi said the Federal Government’s decision to encourage peace in the region would help in shortening recession’s lifespan in the economy. He said growth in oil output would lead to a corresponding growth in revenue accruing to the Federal Government, adding that the development would help in building the economy.

    He noted that when this happens, the country will focus on other sectors of the economy for growth.

    He said: “The issue of ending the quagmire in the economy would not be a problem if the country would be able to sustain peace in the Niger Delta region. The reason is because a conducive operating environment in the region would lead to increase in oil output and revenue needed to manage the economy. This would help the economy to grow. Besides, the government would be able to focus more on the growth of agriculture and other sectors of the economy.

    “Peace in the Niger Delta region would enable the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to get enough crude for its Direct Sales and Direct Purchase (DSDP) import model introduced to provide crude oil for refiners abroad and in return bring fuel into the country,” he said.

    According to him, one of the causes of recession was the reliance on crude oil to the detriment of other natural resources, stressing that the problems in the Niger Delta had prevented the country from meeting its Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) production quota.

    He blamed low oil output, fall in prices and other variables for the  recession, stressing that recession would be over when the country continues to increase production of oil.

    Jammal said ramping up production to 2.1million bpd was a good development, adding that the feat must be sustained if the country must achieve the desired economic growth. He said the Federal Government would stop struggling  once enough revenue are derived from oil and related resources.

    “Now that Nigeria has re-established itself as the leading producer of crude oil in Africa, it must not rest on its oars. To achieve this, the country must guarantee total peace in the Niger Delta in order to maximise the potentials in the industry fully,” he said.

    The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, attributed the leap in oil production to the relative peace in the region. He said the visit by the Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo to the region has helped in improving crude production well.

    Also, NNPC’s Group Managing Director, Maikanti Baru, said the country would be able to increase its oil production once peace thrives in the region.

  • N100m boost for constituents’ self-reliance

    N100m boost for constituents’ self-reliance

    Senator Fatimat Olufunke Raji Rasaki has provided empowerment materials for members of her constituency in Ekiti Central Senatorial District. The gesture was in fulfilment of her electoral promises. The event was also a platform for presentation of her score card. ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA reports. 

    About 600 people in Ekiti Central Senatorial District of Ekiti State had cause to smile when the legislator representing the zone, Senator Fatimat Raji Rasaki donated economic empowerment materials worth N100 million to them.

    The constituents, who trooped out in large numbers at the ceremony held at African Church Primary School, Mobil area of Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, were happy that the gesture would make them become self-reliant.

    During her tenure as a member of the House of Representatives between 2007 and 2011, Mrs. Rasaki had carried out the same gesture. This time around, she decided to up the ante as she now represents a larger political space.

    At the ceremony, which also served as the first town hall meeting since her election into the National Assembly on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Chairman of Senate Committee on Trade and Investment pledged to do more for her constituents in order to reduce the level of poverty and provide them the opportunity to contribute to grassroots economy.

    She further explained that the beneficiaries who were drawn from the 57 wards making up the district, were nominated by various associations and interest groups, promising that more people would benefit in future programmes.

    Beneficiaries who were drawn from Ado, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ekiti West, Ijero and Efon local government areas that make up the district received N10 million cash, tractors, motorcycles, tricycles, helmets, reflexive jackets, spraying machines, agro-chemicals and insecticides.

    Other materials distributed were rain boots, sewing machines, vulcanising machines, grinding machines, popcorn making machines, clippers, hair dryers, cooking stoves and commuter buses for Ado-Ekiti Central Mosque and National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in the five council areas of the district.

    The N10 million cash was distributed to local traders, widows, aged persons and senior citizens to give them succour against the harsh economic situation.

    Giving account of her performance in the National Assembly, Mrs. Rasaki revealed that the bills she had sponsored included Companies and Allied Matters Act (Amendment) Bill 2016 which has reached second reading and Nigeria Industrial Development and Zones Commission Bill which has reached committee level.

    The Senator explained that she had used her position to bring the Bank of Industry to her constituency to organise seminars for 2,500 local investors in order to assist them with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) loans.

    According to her, she also facilitated employment opportunities for her constituents in paramilitary organisations while youths, women, the aged, widows and indigent students are benefiting from Fatimat Raji Rasaki Community Development Programmes.

    Senator Rasaki promised to continue to carry her constituents along through regular presentation of her score card to them in appreciation of their mandate to her at last year’s National Assembly polls.

    She said: “As your representative in the Senate, I speak on your behalf and in your best interest. I have communicated your needs and aspirations as a community through the mandate given to me in last year’s general elections.

    “I have projected our local government areas Ado-Ekiti, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ijero, Ekiti West and Efon as a community with enormous economic opportunities, vast land mass and an investment haven for Ekiti people, Nigerians and the global community.

    “Beside the business of law-making for which I have your mandate, we have worked further to touch the lives of our people in various communities. The youth, women, the aged, widows, indigent students and more are benefiting from the ongoing Senator Fatimat Raji Rasaki Community Development Programmes.

    “As we are aware, execution of constituency projects lay basically within the purview of the executive arm of government. We as legislators make efforts to align our constituencies with the necessary fiscal provisions which must definitely undergo the thorough budgeting process.

    “As your steward, I am mandated to carry the entire communities along on our collective journey to greatness. That is why I deployed all channels of communication-both conventional and modern-to provide feedbacks for the constituents from time to time which has generated tremendous results.

    “In the last one-and-half years, I have convened meetings with stakeholders and heads of many sectors and communities as a feedback mechanism towards ensuring that the people of my senatorial district are well abreast of developments, actions and issues from the Senate.”

    Husband of the Senator and former Military Governor of Ogun and Lagos states, Brig.-Gen. Raji Rasaki (retd.) who inaugurated the buses, said his wife inherited the integrity of keeping promises from her late father, Chief Michael Obayemi.

    The Owa Ajero of Ijero Ekiti, Oba Adebayo Adewole, inaugurated the tractors and praised the Senator for  spreading empowerment across communities in the constituency.

    Gen. Rasaki explained that most of the projects the Senator executed during her tenure as a member of the House of Representatives between 2007 and 2011 are still there for all to see, adding that the empowerment programme was a confirmation of her steadfastness and pedigree.

    Brig-Gen. Rasaki described his wife as a promise keeper, saying her humanitarian gestures dated back to the period of his tenure in the two states when she served as wife of the military governor.

    He said: “During the electioneering campaigns, your Senator made some very specific electoral promises. Keeping promises has become a tradition in the family. Throughout my military career and state governance in this country, I made efforts in all ways to keep my word; as my word has always been my bond.

    “During the whole period of my sojourn in the Government Houses and Barracks (Ogun and Lagos states), your Senator, Fatimat, made promises as wife of the military governor and she never wavered.

    “The Senator, naturally inherited integrity from her late father-the patriarch of the Obayemi Dynasty- Chief Michael Afolabi Obayemi, Atuase of Ado-Ekiti. So, keeping promises and maintenance of integrity are not alien to her.

    “Today’s empowerment programme is, therefore, a further confirmation of her steadfastness and her uncommon pedigree.

    “It is on record that she succeeded first as a member of the House of Representatives and all promises made during her tenure were fulfilled. Most of the projects are still surviving till today whereas those of some of her counterparts had disappeared. She is still capable of doing more and will do more by the grace of God.”

    The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, who was represented by the Sasere, Chief Segun Famuagun, said the kingdom and the entire senatorial district are proud of Mrs. Rasaki for representing them well.

    He said: “She is an illustrious daughter of the kingdom, she has represented the senatorial district well and she has come back to appreciate the people who sent her to the National Assembly.

  • Kaduna to boost food production

    Kaduna to boost food production

    Kaduna State Government is determined to  help farmers improve their incomes and enhance food security.

    The government is committed to addressing challenges of milk production and marketing, so that more farmers can benefit from the  growing dairy sector.

    The Commissioner for Agriculture, Manzo Maigan, said this during the Business of Agriculture Conference on Victoria Island, Lagos.

    Maigan said the  government  would  promote good farming practices and train farmers on a variety of improved methods.

    As part of its strategy, the  commissioner said the government was seeking to promote agribusiness partnerships to tackle low farm productivity and limited market access  peding the development of the sector.

    Maigan said: “The most important thing is to create an enterprise in agriculture. Then, it must be profitable by making sure farmers produce at low cost and make profit. All the while, we have not been able to do that because we have not standardised farm practice. That explains why our produce falls short of global standards.”

    Maigan said the government was determined to support livestock keepers to increase productivity and counter escalating costs and marketing problems.

    He said: ”They have to be taught that it is not the number of animals that they keep but their productivity; if one has 100 cows that translate to 1.5 litres of milk per day, they can get a cow that gives them 30 litres or as much as 50 litres per day per cow. Even if the productivity is increased by 8.5 litres to 10 litres, management becomes easy even with as less as 10 cows. Lesser grass is grown. Like in Kaduna, we were able to bring in nutritious grass from Brazil, and within six weeks, milk output has increased from 1.5 to 3.5 litres per day.

    “We are also looking at artificial insemination, whereby we will bring the semen of improved cows and inseminate them with local cows to produce hybrid,” he added.

    He said the state was encouraging commercial pasture development to grow grass for sale, adding that grass was big business, as some countries export grass.

  • ACAI, others to boost cassava yields

    ACAI, others to boost cassava yields

    Cassava Adding Value for Africa Phase II (CAVA II) and some  institutions of higher learning are to promote disease-resistant cassava stems to help farmers improve their yields.

    The institutions include Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora, and the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure.

    This was disclosed at the International Farmers Field Day at the institutions.

    The event organised by CAVA II drew participants from five African countries – Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana and Nigeria.

    Participants urged farmers to adopt best practices in cassava cultivation, which could make them to harvest between 30 and 50 tonnes of cassava per hectare.

    CAVA II Project Director Prof. Kolawole Adebayo said his organisation had made efforts to improve the growth of the cassava industry and livelihoods of small farmers.

    He hinted that the project has opened new markets for about 200,000 cassava farmers in the countries.

    According to him, CAVA II intervention has helped increase the number of small producers who supply cassava to processing industries.

    Some of the new markets created by this project, he said, included production of ethanol, cassava chips, flour for industrial use and starch.

    He said the success of the first phase of CAVA I project, which began in 2008 and ended in 2014, led to the emergence of the second phase – CAVA II Project in 2014.

    Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology Provost Prof. Gbemiga Adewale thanked CAVA Phase II for choosing the college for the project.

    He added that the institution was given the privilege to own plots for the cultivation of varieties of cassava for demonstration to local farmers.

    On the essence of the conference, he said the programme was organised to bring stakeholders from five African countries together to learn modern agronomic practices in cassava production.

    Adewale said with improved agronomic practices, farmers could double  their yields and control market prices.

    Meanwhile, the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) project has stepped up efforts to bridge the cassava yield gap in Africa. To accomplish this, the project has engaged key actors in Nigeria and Tanzania ranging from farmers, researchers, extension services, development workers, processors as well as input dealers notably fertiliser manufacturing companies associated with successful  cassava production.

    ACAI Project Coordinator Dr Abdulai Jalloh stressed that to improve the production of cassava, it became necessary to  establish contacts among actors to learn and share information that would benefit ACAI partners.

    Jalloh noted that though the entry point of ACAI is to address yield gap, it is imperative for strategic considerations of the cassava value chain and inclusiveness of all.

    To this end, the Africa Soil Health Consortium in collaboration with the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI), is leading the engagement of key stakeholders in target countries.

    According to him, ACAI is conscious of the mistakes of the past, where bottlenecks were considered in isolation irrespective of other ones and even those that could occur as a result of concentrating on only one aspect.