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  • Ireland, Nigeria seek stronger investment partnerships

    Ireland, Nigeria seek stronger investment partnerships

    Ireland has expressed renewed interest in partnering with Nigeria to strengthen cultural exchange, revive local textile industries and support small-scale manufacturing.

    This came the President of the Police Wives’ Association (POWA), Dr. Mrs Elizabeth Egbetokun and other stakeholders at the First Made-in-Nigeria Textile (MiNT) Summit in Abuja urged the Federal Government to adopt practical measures to rebuild the country’s struggling textile sector.

    Irish Ambassador to Nigeria, Peter Ryan, said Ireland sees significant promise in Nigeria’s cultural and creative industries and is eager to work with the government, communities, and businesses to preserve Nigeria’s indigenous textile heritage.

    He said both countries share a deep cultural identity shaped by history and expressed through fabric traditions.

    Ryan said Ireland’s experience in protecting its cultural assets offers relevant lessons. “We managed to protect our culture, our language, our textiles and our way of life through almost a thousand years of colonial rule.

    “We found a way to honour those traditions and integrate them into the modern world. That is why Irish textiles are in New York, Tokyo, Korea and Singapore today,” he said.

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    He stressed that Ireland seeks partnership, not competition, saying, “There is only one place in the world to make authentic Nigerian textiles, and only one place to make authentic Irish textiles. This is an area for cooperation.”

    According to him, Ireland’s home-based weaving traditions have become global cultural exports, and Nigeria can achieve the same by protecting local designs, reviving value chains and strengthening community-based fabric technologies.

    He added that the Nigerian diaspora in Ireland is already creating design collaborations that combine Irish and Nigerian influences.

    “We should think about Made in Nigeria every day, not just once a year. Anything that strengthens this ecosystem will help young people and honour the traditions gifted to us by our ancestors,” Ryan said, reaffirming Ireland’s readiness to develop structured partnerships built on trust, adding that the delegation at the summit would observe, understand and identify areas where Ireland can contribute.

    POWA President Egbetokun, who was honoured for her contributions to the promotion of Nigerian arts and culture, called for renewed commitment to revitalising the industry to ensure the survival and continued relevance of Nigerian textiles.

    She said the summit offered a window to stimulate national reflection on the future of the textile sector.

    Organisers of the MiNT festival warned that Nigeria risks losing critical cultural and economic assets if indigenous fabric technologies continue to disappear.

    Dr Lizzie Ben-Iheanacho, a member of the Central Working Committee of MiNT, said the festival aims to address the rapid disappearance of traditional production knowledge. According to her, Nigeria is losing not only cultural symbols but also intellectual property.

    “The fading heritage of producing Nigerian fabrics is a major concern. Generations have lost certain knowledge handed down by our ancestors.”

    Ben-Iheanacho said that when indigenous textile technology dies, foreign producers replicate local designs for commercial gain, leaving communities without economic benefit or recognition.

    “When that technology dies or is bastardised by outsiders, we lose the commercial rights over it,” she said.

    She urged the Federal Government to adopt practical measures, including mandating indigenous fabrics for school uniforms across states.

    “If every child in a government school uses two uniforms produced locally, communities will immediately see value in Made-in-Nigeria fabrics,” she said.

    She cited examples from Burkina Faso and Ghana, where government policies drove local textile adoption, and pointed to Ogun State’s initiative promoting Adire as evidence that state-led action can transform the sector.

    ChukwuEmeka Okereafor, Director of Programmes and Communication for MiNT, said the summit aims to renew national consciousness about the textile industry.

    He recalled that Nigeria once had a thriving sector supported by cotton farmers in the North, adding, “Fabrics and fashion are important parts of the identity of a people. We can’t let that die”.

    Okereafor said rebuilding the industry requires investment across the entire value chain—from cotton production to processing, design and distribution.

    He warned that reliance on import-driven revenue continues to undermine local industries, stressing, “You celebrate revenue from importation, whereas indigenous products are the ones suffering.”

    Other stakeholders at the festival traced the collapse of the textile sector to inconsistent policy direction, smuggling, low tariffs and the influx of cheap polyester fabrics that imitate local designs.

    The challenges, they said, weakened demand for cotton and forced many mills in Kaduna, Kano and other northern states to shut down.

    They called on the Federal Government to strengthen border controls, protect local manufacturers, expand support for cotton farmers, offer incentives to surviving mills and develop a coordinated revival strategy involving industry associations.

    The participants said revitalising Nigeria’s textile sector would stimulate rural economies, reduce unemployment, strengthen cultural pride and open new export opportunities.

    They also urged deeper Nigeria-Ireland cooperation in skills training, cultural exchange, design innovation and investment promotion, noting that Ireland’s centuries-old weaving tradition offers a model for sustainable heritage-based industry revival.

    The festival featured an exhibition of Nigerian textiles and the presentation of awards to deserving individuals, including POWA President Mrs. Egbetokun and the Irish Ambassador to Nigeria, Peter Ryan.

  • Nigerian-born Adeleke targets first athletics’ gold for Ireland

    Nigerian-born Adeleke targets first athletics’ gold for Ireland

    Rhasidat Adeleke hopes to become the first Irish female to win an Olympic athletics gold in Paris, an achievement that would provide a fitting riposte to racists who have targeted her for online abuse.

    Born and raised in Ireland to Nigerian parents, Adeleke, 21, heads to Paris as the European 400 metres silver medallist – one of three medals she won in Rome in June – and an impressive win at the Monaco Diamond League meet.

    However, the warm afterglow of her performances at the European Championships – gold in the mixed 4x400m relay and silver in the 4×400 women’s relay – was overshadowed by a wave of racist abuse on social media which questioned her right to represent Ireland.

     “Irish athletes have trained all their lives just to see opportunities taken away from them by Africans,” said one post on Twitter.

    Those close to Adeleke say the abuse affected her deeply.

     “I think that’s probably the most pain I’ve seen her have,” Edrick Floreal, her coach at Texas University, revealed.

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     “She was really in a dark place when she read those things on the Internet.

     “She doesn’t cry ever, so when she cries it’s like, ‘Oh my God’, so that bothered her more than I ever thought and I just let her handle it.”

    The abuse prompted Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris into saluting her as an inspiration to “young girls and boys.”

     “Rhasidat Adeleke is not only a world-class champion, she is a world-class person,” said Harris. “You are class, so please do not let online cowards bring you down.

     “You are Ireland and Ireland could not be more proud of you.”

    Adeleke’s mother, Ade, decried the abuse – “she is just a little girl” – while telling her daughter to “look forward to the positivity, not the negativity.”

    Indeed there is much to be positive about heading to the Olympics, with her clocking the fourth fastest time of the season thus far of 49.07 seconds in Monaco.

    Despite vile online abuse from some of her Irish compatriots 400m Olympic medal hope Rhasidat Adeleke’s devoted mother has urged her to be positive

    Had it not been for her mother, though, Adeleke might not be in the position of dreaming of Olympic gold and bettering the 5,000m silver won by Sonia O’Sullivan at the 2000 Sydney Games, which remains Ireland’s only female Olympic athletics medal.

     “Her mom, Ade, was very keen that Rhasidat would get the best and education and homework had to align with sport,” her former school head teacher Aine Mulderrig told Buzz.ie in June.

     “There was a straightforward bus ride from her home in Tallaght (suburb of Dublin) but Ade picked her up every evening past fourth year because there was a tight schedule.

     “She had training, she had her homework and that all had to be done because mom was extremely determined that she was getting her education.”

    Adeleke showed she had taken as much care of her homework as her training as she won a scholarship to Texas despite taking the exams in 2020 during the Covid pandemic.

    As ever, she had been accompanied by her mother to have a look at the campus – but unlike a legion of tricky relationships between pushy parents and talented athletes – this one seems unbreakable.

     “My mam comes to every single meet ever since I was growing up. She put me first all the time,” Adeleke told Irish broadcaster RTE after taking European silver.

     “She would switch out shifts at work. She would take me everywhere, pay for everything.

     “To be able to be here, doing what I love, I just feel so grateful to her because I definitely wouldn’t be here without her.”

    Adeleke, whose sister Latifah is also a promising athlete, feels she owes her mum and there could be no better gift than Olympic gold.

     “I wanted gold,” she said in Rome. “Hopefully moving forward I get my gold.”

  • Ireland, Spain, Norway to recognise Palestinian state

    Ireland, Spain, Norway to recognise Palestinian state

    The leaders of Ireland, Spain and Norway have said that they will officially recognise Palestine as a state. In response, Israel has recalled its ambassadors to Ireland and Norway.

    The co-ordinated move, which was soon followed by Spain, underscores how Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza is focusing global attention on the issue of statehood for Palestinians and hurting Israel’s relations with other nations.

    “Israel will not be complacent against those who undermine its sovereignty and endanger its security,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday in a statement. “Ireland and Norway intend to send a message to the Palestinians and the whole world today: Terrorism pays.”

    He put out his statement moments before Spain also said it will formally recognize an independent state in the areas comprising Gaza and the West Bank. Around 140 countries already recognize a Palestinian state, but until now very few in Europe.

    “This is an historic and important day for Ireland and for Palestine,” Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris told reporters on Wednesday morning. “It is an expression of our view that Palestine holds and should be able to vindicate the full rights to the state, including self determination, self governance, territorial integrity and security.”

    Harris and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez both reiterated calls for an end to the war in Gaza that’s now in its eighth month and which has devastated the Mediterranean enclave. They and Norway have been among the European countries most critical of Israel for continuing the conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the war is necessary to destroy Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the US and European Union.

    The conflict erupted last year after Hamas fighters from Gaza swarmed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage. Since then, Israel’s air and ground offensive on Gaza has killed more than 35,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

    Netanyahu has consistently ruled out allowing an independent Palestinian state. Since Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, he’s said such a move would reward terrorism and be a threat to the Jewish state’s security. Polls suggest the majority of Israeli citizens are also against a two-state solution.

    Yet the move by the three European nations is significant and shows how pressure on Israel is rising.

    Harris and Sanchez held bilateral talks in Dublin last month and the two reiterated their intention to recognize a state of Palestine and to gather international support for a two-state solution.

    Read Also: Palestinian envoy lambasts US for arresting protesters

    Understanding the Roots of the Israel-Hamas War: QuickTake

    In March, the leaders of Slovenia and Malta as well as Spain and Ireland met in Brussels. They issued a joint statement saying a two-state solution was “the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the region.”

    Ireland’s position had already led to tensions with Israel. Harris discussed the plan to recognize Palestine with Israeli president Isaac Herzog in a phone call on Sunday. Harris has insisted that he did not want to see Ireland’s diplomatic relations with Israel severed as a result of the move.

    Sanchez has also been highly critical of Israel’s military action in Gaza.

    Relations between Israel and Spain have also been tense. In November, Israel recalled its ambassador to Madrid after Sanchez made public statements saying he had serious doubts that Israel was complying with international law. Sanchez also told Netanyahu that the number of deaths in Gaza was “unbearable,” adding that Spain also suffered terrorism in the past and it can’t be stopped by force alone.

    The US, Israel’s most important ally, also backs a two-state solution, but says that can only come about through negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. In recent months, President Joe Biden’s signaled a state of Palestine could be created with strict limits on its military forces so as to reassure Israel, which controls many aspects of security in Gaza and the West Bank, including their air space.

    Newsnow

  • Victory schools launch UK, Ireland alumni group

    The maiden meeting of the Victory High School (VHS) and Victory College (VC) Old Students’ Association, United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland held last weekend at Mill Hill, London.

    The meeting was hosted by Mr Israel Fatuade (a.ka. Papa) and his wife, Ronke.

    Mr Joseph Kajero, who coordinated the meeting, was appointed Chairman of the VHS/VC Old Students Association United Kingdom and Ireland.  Mrs Titilola Olufunmilayo Adenekan (nee Olaniyan) is to serve as Secretary while Mr. Olubunmi Thomas as Membership Secretary/Treasurer.

    The during the meeting which was well attended, with three guests, Chief Richard Oma Ahonaruogho, Mrs Bose Ashama (nee Shokoya) and Janet Olowe Omolasho, coming from Nigeria to grace the occasion. The participants promised to galvanise members to participate in the forthcoming 50th anniversary of their alma mater, scheduled for next year at the Victory High School premises, Abule-Onigbagbo, Ikeja, Lagos from September 29 to October 6.

    The proprietor of the schools, Chief Christian Francis Ipoola Olaniyan, spoke via telephone to Prince Lawrence Haastrup, and almost all his pupils, said he was very proud of their achievements.

  • 2019: EU, Ireland pledge support for free, fair election 

    •Bayelsa seeks partnership to end killings  

    The Republic of Ireland and the European Union (EU) yesterday said they would do whatever they could to ensure peaceful, free and fair elections in Nigeria in 2919.

    The Irish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Sean Hoy, who visited the Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd) in Yenagoa said the EU would be involved in monitoring the elections.

    He said the EU would support the democratic process and ensure that good conditions were put in place to reduce opportunities for violence.

    Hoy, who is also the ambassador to Ghana, Senegal and Cote D’Ivoire, said  the federal and state governments including faith-based organisations should sensitise the citizens on the need for peace and security.

    He said they would send their people as international observers to ensure that Nigeria gets the democratic process right, adding that the country should lead and set example for other African countries on free and fair elections.

    He, however, said many positive things had taken place in Nigeria, observing that the country’s electoral process was improving every year.

    Hoy also called for peace and security in the Niger Delta, observing that the region remained the economic heart of the country.

    The ambassador said:  “We are coming into another election year in Nigeria and what we feel is that this year could be just as hot as any other years that the potential for violence is always around and as a representative of Ireland and also from the European Union, we’re here to spread the word that we would do whatever we can to support peaceful, free and fair elections in the country.

    “We would be involved in monitoring elections, supporting the democratic process and making sure that the conditions are in place so that the populace believe that the elections are free and fair and that the opportunities for violence are reduced.

    “I want to emphasise the role of government, state government and all the faith-based leaders in relaying that message, especially to your people that elections are about democracy and giving people a voice, they should not be undermined by insecurity.

    “And that we’ll support as international observers in whatever we can by sending our people at different level of  democratic process because it is very important that Nigeria lead and set example in Africa for free and fair elections.”

    In his remarks, Jonah, expressed sadness over the security situation in the country and urged the EU countries to assist Nigeria to ameliorate the problems.

    Jonah said: “I want you to look at the general security situation in this country; it has never been this bad. As diplomats and members of EU countries, try and see in what ways you could assist us to solve the entire security problems in the country.

    “You alluded to a few things concerning elections, it is our prayer that elections will be violence-free and that the voters will have optimum say.”

    The deputy governor lamented the non-participation of Bayelsans in the oil and gas industry, which he said was a major cause of agitations in the Niger Delta area.

    “Wee are not carried along in the oil and gas industry, emphasized that, the Niger Delta peoples’ participation in the industry is almost zero”, he said.

    Jonah, who lauded the Irish envoy’s efforts to prevail on oil companies to give the Niger Delta people a fair share of the oil proceeds, said the state government would liaise with them, in resolving issues with the multinational oil firms.

    Describing the devastation to the environment caused by the activities of oil companies as enormous and unquantifiable, he said, a study was being carried out by experts on the extent of damage to the environment and the people.

    The deputy governor sought the collaboration of Ireland in the development of the Agge Deep sea port, education and Eco-Industrial park to build an economy beyond oil.

     

    He also urged the international community to monitor the forthcoming general elections nationwide.

     

  • Abortion referendum voting kicks off in Ireland

    Voting for a referendum on whether abortions should be legalised or not in Ireland kicked off across the country on Friday.

    Over 3.2 million registered voters are expected to cast their ballots at more than 6,500 polling stations across the country, which opened at 7 a.m. and would close at 10 p.m. local time.

    In the 15 hours of voting, voters would be asked to cast Yes or No votes on a question written on their ballots as whether or not they agree to legalise abortions in the country, which have virtually been banned by the present Irish laws.

    Results of the polling are expected to be announced late today or early on Saturday.

    A survey released five days prior to the referendum showed that 56 per cent of the people would vote Yes, 27 per cent would vote No, 14 per cent say they don’t know and three per cent would refuse to answer.

    Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who is a strong advocate of the Yes campaign for the referendum, said there would be no further referendum if Yes supporters failed in the poll.

    Special arrangements have been made by government to assist voters in the referendum.

    More than 50,000 specially designed ballots were place at different polling stations to facilitate voting by blind or visually-impaired voters.

    Returning officers, accompanied by police, would visit hospitals or healthcare centres to help the voting of those who were unable to cast their ballots at polling stations.

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    Some 2,000 people living on 12 islands off the western cost of Ireland were allowed to cast their votes on Thursday, a day ahead of the rest of the country to make sure that their votes would be sent back to count centres on Friday in time.

    Under a law added into the Irish Constitution after a 1983 referendum in the country, abortion is illegal unless the life of the mother is in danger or the foetus is proven dead in the womb.

    The law, widely known as the Eighth Amendment among locals, has been under increasing criticism in recent years.

    People opposed to it argued that such laws only add pains and burden to pregnant women, as each year an estimated 3,000 pregnant women in Ireland secretly travel to neighbouring countries for abortion.

  • Disgraced ex Catholic Cardinal O’Brien dies at 80

    A disgraced former head of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland who stepped down in 2013 after a sex scandal has died aged 80, the Church said on Monday.

    Cardinal Keith O’Brien, an outspoken critic of gay marriage, resigned after three priests and one former priest complained about incidents of sexual misconduct dating back to the 1980s.

    O’Brien initially denied the allegations but then apologised for sexual conduct he said had “fallen below the standards expected of me”.

    He quit as archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh in 2013 shortly after Pope Benedict shocked the Catholic world with his own resignation.

    O’Brien, once Britain’s most senior Catholic cleric, promised to play no further role in the Church in Scotland and did not take part in the conclave that elected Benedict’s successor, Pope Francis.

    Read Also: Task before Pope Francis

    With the agreement of the Holy See, O’Brien subsequently moved to the north of England, where a statement said he had died surrounded by family.

    The Catholic Church has been embroiled for years in sexual scandals, most notoriously involving the abuse of children in the United States and Ireland, which were covered up by senior clerics.

    “In life, Cardinal O’Brien may have divided opinion,” said Archbishop Leo Cushley of St. Andrews and Edinburgh.

    “In death, however, I think all can be united in praying for the repose of his soul, for comfort for his grieving family and that support and solace be given to those whom he offended, hurt and let down.”

    NAN

  • Bale ruled out of 2018 World Cup qualifiers

    Bale ruled out of 2018 World Cup qualifiers

    Wales forward Gareth Bale has been ruled out of their crucial last two 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Ireland due to a calf injury.

    Bale, who missed Real Madrid’s weekend league game against Espanyol, had arrived with the rest of the Wales squad on Sunday and attended an awards dinner in Cardiff.

    “But following dialogue with Real Madrid, Bale was sent for a scan and results confirmed that he wouldn’t be fit to feature,” the Football Association of Wales ( FAW ) said on Tuesday in a statement.

    “Barnsley striker Tom Bradshaw will now join up with the rest of the squad later today.”

    Bale is the most high-profile player in the Welsh side and the country’s hopes of qualifying for next year’s World Cup in Russia are still hanging in the balance.

    Chris Coleman’s team are second in Group D, four points behind leaders Serbia and one clear of Ireland in third.

    They take on hosts Georgia on Friday and host Ireland the following Monday in their final qualifier.

    Wales need to top the group to secure an automatic place in Russia but will go through to the playoffs if they finish second.

    Bale had been doubtful after Real manager Zinedine Zidane reported the player was suffering a small calf strain.

    The 28-year-old has scored 26 goals in 68 appearances for his country and was instrumental in their run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016.

    NAN

  • Why nuclear weapons should be banned – Nigeria’s UN envoy

    Why nuclear weapons should be banned – Nigeria’s UN envoy

    Prof. Tijjani Bande, Nigeria’s Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the UN said nuclear weapons should be banned because they cause more crises than promote peace among countries.

    Bande told a news conference at the UN that nuclear weapons now create instability globally rather than deterrence, the excuse most nuclear powers gave.

    The UN on Friday adopted the Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty in a majority vote by 122 countries leading towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons, while 60 countries boycotted.

    With the adoption of the nuclear treaty, nuclear weapons now joined all other weapons of mass destruction, which have already been prohibited.

    Nigeria, together with Ireland, Austria, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa played a leadership role in bringing forward the UN resolution convening the Diplomatic Conference that negotiated the ground-breaking treaty.

    Bande said it was sad that “there are countries that still have nuclear weapons and refuse to give them up”, pointing out that the resources expended on maintaining nuclear weapons could better be channeled to other development projects.

    According to him, those regions with nuclear weapons have continued to be unstable, citing India and Pakistan and Israel and its neighbours.

    “Pakistan has a very terrible relationship with its neighbor. Literally, India and Pakistan used to be one country, and the instability of the situation is that these are two nuclear neighbours.

    “So what advantage in the relationship strategically do they have? Nothing; they are just spending the money on nuclear weapons.

    “A lot of people are poor in India, a lot of people are poor in Pakistan, and everyday people are killed in low-level warfare but they are nuclear States,” he said.

    According to him, Israel also has nuclear weapon while Iran is reportedly trying to acquire one in what seems to be a sad reminder of dangerous arms race among countries.

    “So the larger question really is: there is something that makes people crazy about wanting to have latest weapons in nuclear but of what use then are they?

    “With all the provocations, would Israel use nuclear weapons in its own neighbourhood?

    “So these are the questions but when you ask these questions, people say ‘oh, my neighbour has’. He has and he can’t eat them.

    “You are trying to have, you can’t eat it, you can’t even use it. So the whole issue then is that there is a sense of competition.

    “These are like toys; the ‘big boys’ have them, I must also have them. But we are dealing with human lives, ”
    he added.

    Bande, however, warned that while countries that possessed nuclear weapons could not even use them deliberately, accidents could happen.

    The Nigerian envoy alluded to the recent nuclear weapons concerns over North Korea, saying deterrence via the threat of the use of nuclear weapons had failed.

    “In classrooms and politics, we are told they (nuclear weapons) are ‘deterrence’, I do not think that this deterrence has worked; these just are theories.

    “If there were no nuclear weapons and no threat felt by North Korea, it’s possible that the regime would not have started its efforts to produce these weapons,” he stated.

    122 nation states voted in favour of the adoption of a legally binding instrument – a treaty for the prohibition of nuclear weapons at the UN conference, while one respectively voted ‘no’ and ‘abstention’.

    Netherlands voted against while Singapore abstained as well as all the Permanent Members of the UN Security Council, a fewer other countries and Japan that was the victim of nuclear weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

    The text adopted on Friday represented the successful outcome of the first multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations in 20 years.

    State Parties to the Treaty are expected to have the signing ceremonies at the UN headquarters in September, at the sidelines of the High-level UN General Assembly, and subsequently ratify it.

  • Ireland seeks stronger ties with Nigeria

    Ireland seeks stronger ties with Nigeria

    The Republic of Ireland is seeking renewed social partnership with Nigeria in view of the rampant cases of labour unrest caused by the economy downturn.

    The Irish Ambassador to Nigeria, Sean Hoy, stated this when he visited the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, in Abuja

    He said stronger ties would  enable Nigeria benefit from the Irish experience even as he said “tough times often give rise to adverse labour relations.”

    Ngige noted that every nation passed through phases of development, but the determination of a people was always critical to pulling through such situations.

    “Your country, Ireland, has passed through similar experience, a crushing recession and emerged from it.  Nigeria would learn from the doggedness of the Irish people and also emerge from recession,” Ngige said.

    He added that all over the world, labour relations in a depressed economy was usually frosty as a result of dwindling earnings on the part of workers and employers. He stressed that the cardinal focus of the present administration was to stem job losses in a situation where the government was handicapped to create many new jobs.

    Ngige further said Nigeria was mindful of unsettling her social equilibrium, hence, the government’s determined efforts to expand social investment net to cushion the effects of recession, ease hardship and curb social unrest.

    “We are diversifying into agriculture and mining to create jobs for the people. We are also focusing on social security.  Out of 500,000 youths captured in our social intervention programme, 200,000 are already working, while plans are in top gear to take on the rest.

    “We are investing on skills acquisition for these youths. The Conditional Cash Transfer has also taken off in nine states. By the end of February, we will take the number to 18 states while the remaining states are targeted for inclusion by the middle of the year, Ngige said.

    He said the government was doing all it could to move Nigeria out of recession. “There is nothing permanent in life. So, Nigeria will come out of recession. I just came in from the inaugural meeting of the Federal Government Committee on Food Security as well as that on Social Investment. We are working to make sure we have enough food to feed ourselves,” he added.