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Tag: Moses Emorinken

  • Five Nollywood actresses who married other women’s men

    Five Nollywood actresses who married other women’s men

    In the words of D’banj, “Love is a beautiful thing”. Most women, regardless of how lowly, averagely, or highly placed they are, look forward to the day they become one with their sweethearts – to become husbands and wives.

    Ordinarily, there shouldn’t have been any buzz or razzmatazz about the subject, except that when a woman gets another woman’s man, especially when she is a super star actress, YES!, It is a big deal.

    Is this women’s inhumanity to women? You decide:

    Funke Akindele

    Popularly called Jenifa, the 40-year-old Ikorodu-born funny actress’s marriage to Mr. Kehinde Oloyede can be said to be one of the shortest marriage in the history of Nollywood.   Everyone, aside the actress knew the marriage was bound to end before it even started. A superstar in the Nigerian movie industry and a University of Lagos graduate, walking down the aisle with a man who already had about six children from three women?

    funke akindele and Ex-Husband

    Talking about how the union went awry, the ever funny actress said: “I was abused emotionally and verbally. Really, I felt we could work things out when the trouble started two months after the marriage, but I made up my mind and shut the door of the marriage at him when the trouble was coming to me too much. I stooped to conquer him; buried my fame and name to make him my husband, but it did not work.

    “At a point in time, I asked if it’s not the same man that was all over me before we married. He nearly got me off my career. He called me severally; I did not pick his calls but when he realized my silence was tormenting him, he took to Facebook. It’s alright. Ask him when did he come to my house last? He left me here in my rented apartment with nothing and he will just dash in and dash out. He gets abusive, caustic anytime we have a misunderstanding and often told me to my face, he’s going to his wife in Oshodi.”

    Funke Akindele is however now back and better and we love that the girlpower in her has continuously made her project ahead in her career.

    Ini Edo

    Sultry actress Ini Edo got all blogs buzzing when news came out that she was getting married in 2008 to her American-based hubby, Phillips Ehiagwina. A year earlier, a woman, Ruth, who was said to be Phillips’ wife (as at that time) allegedly wrote an open letter to the actress, warning her to steer clear of her husband.

    Ini Edo with Ex-Husband

    She also went further to reveal how promiscuous her husband was, so she won’t end up being dejected and disappointed. The letter read thus: “Hi Ini, I have information that you are having an affair with my husband, Philip Ehiagwina.

    He has been deceiving girls all over the place, making them believe he has heaven and earth. You are not the only girl obviously, but Ini watch your back so you don’t regret, I have nothing against you but a piece of advice. I heard that you might be pregnant for him, if it’s true, good luck. I called your manager and told her everything.

    You are a very pretty girl and should know how to respect your body. Do not be carried away by flashy things cause that could be deadly too. All that glitters isn’t gold, remember.” But the actress dismissed all these, discrediting the media for misrepresentation of facts. She got married to Mr Phillips and the issue went from sweet to bitter in six years. Her family was said to have returned the brideprice over irreconcilable differences. The beautiful actress who owns a massive N70 million mansion in Lekki is however doing well for herself and has put all her former marriage troubles behind her.

     

    Mercy Johnson

    In 2011, one Mrs. Lovely Okojie sent out an open letter to Mercy Johnson to please release her husband and find a single man to marry. According to the woman, the man in question is the father of her two children and he was still legally married to her at the time. Read the letter below:

    Mercy Johnson with Husband

    “My name is Lovely Okojie, legal wife of Prince Odianosen Okojie, the man Mercy Johnson is set to wed in a few weeks. I was referred to you to help me share my story after all else had failed to stop another woman from breaking my home. I used to have a sweet home but now Mercy Johnson is trying to destroy it. I’ve not been able to stop crying or sleep well for the past few months.

    “I’m appealing to the world and whoever knows her to please tell her to leave my husband alone. I’m married to this man and there has never been any divorce paper signed. We are still legally married, he’s the love of my life and the father of my two lovely kids. We got married back in 2006 in Regio-Emilia, Italy, attached are pictures of the wedding. At the moment, he’s busy in Nigeria planning to wed Mercy Johnson, abandoning me and our children. Fellow women is this fair? So with all the single guys out there, Mercy could not find herself one. How can a woman not care that she’s destroying the home of another woman, all in the name of getting married desperately. I’m in terrible pains. What do I tell my children?”

    All these did not stop the wedding from taking place. Although it caused a bit of delay, the two lovebirds exchanged their vows at a Christ Embassy Church, Oregun, Lagos on Saturday, August 27, 2011, amidst tight security. They are still together, waxing stronger and have been blessed with kids.

     

    Nujella Njubigbe

    Nuella Njubigbo with Husband

    Not many Nigerians knew Nujella until news went around that she broke her colleague’s home.

    The fast rising actress was however quick at discrediting the news that she was sleeping with ace Nollywood producer, Tchidi Tchekere. Tchidi was married with 3 kids to Sophia Tchekere, another beautiful actress. The oga producer later ended his six years marriage to Sophia and moved in with Nujella at a new apartment in Ajah. They have been blessed with a baby and they are still very much together.

     

    Stella Damasus-Aboderin

    This particular actress is on the list because of the kind of bad publicity she generates when it comes to men. Reports went viral that the beautiful actress and mother was harbouring another actress, Doris Simeon’s husband, Daniel Ademinokan, but she debunked it, calling it an absurd and senseless report.

    Stella Damasus with Husband

    Fast forward to few months (abi nah years) later, the lovebirds are on our social media, professing love for each other, with the poor Doris Simeon living her life as it comes. life has been shattered. Doris Simeon and Daniel Adenimokan had a kid, while Aunty Stella has three girls from her first husband. Did we miss anyone on the list? Do add in the comment section!

    The above was culled from Naij’s top five popular Nigerian actresses who married other women’s men.

  • We need to attract, retain investments – Uduk

    Stakeholders in the Capital Market have been urged to continue to take positive steps to attract and retain both local and foreign investments to stimulate economic growth and develop critical infrastructure necessary for the country’s development.

    Ag. Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Ms. Mary Uduk stated this at the launch of the book ‘Riding the Eagle’ written by Mrs. Toyin Sanni in Lagos, Monday.

    Uduk explained that during the decision-making process, investors want to be sure of the rational basis of their investment decisions before transferring resources, and this is why quality information is needed.

    According to her, “Providing information to investors will enhance transparency in the Nigerian markets and improve our global reputation in the investment community.

    “Riding the Eagle meets this imperative by providing comprehensive and up-to-date information on investing in the Nigerian markets via a roadmap and guide for foreign, domestic, institutional and individual investors alike. It also examines the challenges faced by the Nigerian economy across sectors, past and recent success stories and solutions to some of the nation’s economic and development challenges.”

    She said the Book goes into details on the key sectors that drive the performance of the Nigerian economy and what investment opportunities are available for interested investors and motivated entrepreneurs.

    The SEC DG therefore commended the author, for putting at the disposal of the industry, the value of over one decade in the money market and another two decades in the capital market.

    Read Also: Technology to drive processes in the Capital Market, says Uduk

    “The book serves investor interests through this comprehensive and authoritative work on investment opportunities in the Nigerian economy.

    “It is imperative therefore that we all as stakeholders continue to take positive steps to attract and retain both local and foreign investments to stimulate economic growth and develop critical infrastructure necessary for our country’s development,” she added.

    In her remarks, Vice Chairman FAMFA Oil Limited, Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija described the book as truly a most appropriate and timely information guide for all stakeholders in the investment sector in africa’s most populous and resource rich country (Nigeria).

    Author of the book, Mrs Sanni said the book is to help make Nigeria a sustainable preferred destination by providing detailed and concise information for investors.

  • 2019 elections: SOKAPU urges Nigerians to embrace peace

    The Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) over the weekend urged its people and Nigerians to maintain a peaceful demeanour and conduct, especially during the forthcoming general elections.

    The Chairman of the Abuja Chapter of SOKAPU, Mr. David Manya Dogo, who made this known at its end of year cultural festival to showcase her rich heritage and to engender togetherness and peace, explained that the event was to demonstrate and celebrate the Southern Kaduna People’s culture that is rich, friendly, and peaceful.

    According to him, “The people of Southern Kaduna are known to be peaceful. We are a people of peace, social justice and equity; let us do whatever we can within our power to be peaceful.

    “There cannot be development without peace. We have to be good example of peace for others to follow.

    “The 2019 general election is by the corner; we therefore have a duty to appeal to our people to be part of the process. It is an opportunity to decide the kind of leadership we want for our country.

    “If we fail to vote, we lose the right and power to challenge the leadership when they don’t serve us well.”

    He further added that: “This event is an opportunity to fraternize and interact with one another; a number of us have not seen ourselves for a while. It is therefore, an opportunity to exchange ideas to help our people and move the country forward.

    “Most tribes in Southern Kaduna are working towards developing their languages and putting it in writing. Some tribes already have their written languages, and many others are also doing that. We are encouraging people to develop their language into written formats.”

    While encouraging the youths to play active roles in the political process of our country, Dogo said, “in the demographic of our country, the youths constitute of about 60% of our population, what it means is that the youths can take very far-reaching decisions when they decide to. You can change a lot of things as youths because of your number.”

    The event which not only celebrates the culture of the Southern Kaduna people, but also to thank God for being faithful, kind and gracious, witnessed a colourful array and extravagant display of the interesting and rich cultural heritage of the Southern Kaduna people. Apart from the obvious and palpable display of cacophony amongst the people, they were equally entertained by traditional dances and music.

    According to the Vice Chairman of the SOKAPU, Abuja Chapter, Mr. Jeremiah Peter, “We are here to tell the world what we can offer in terms of culture; culture being a uniting factor and medium for everyone to come together as one indivisible family.

    “This event has benefited the people in the sense that it has united us and brought us closer to interface. It is a melting point.

    “We also use this medium to identify some of our youths that are unemployed and see how we can help them get jobs. Also, those that are into business, we see how to support them with little finance to get started.”

  • NDIC Boss elected as new Chairperson of IADI

    The Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Umaru Ibrahim, has been elected the new Chairperson of the Africa Regional Committee (ARC) of the International Association of Deposit Insurers (IADI).

    The NDIC made this known through a statement by its Head of Communications and Corporate Affairs, Mohammed Kudu Ibrahim.

    According to the statement, “Ibrahim was elected during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the IADI-ARC which was a prelude to the IADI Technical Assistance Workshop being hosted by the Corporation in Lagos.

    “The election was a unanimous decision of the body following the expiration of tenure of the current Chairperson and former Chief Executive Officer of the Deposit Protection Corporation of Zimbabwe, Mr John Chikura.

    “Also elected as the ARC Vice-Chairman during the AGM was Mohamud A. Mohamud, the Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC).”

    Read Also: NDIC to host IADI workshop in Lagos

    The election of Ibrahim marks the second time that Nigeria will lead the IADI-ARC. The immediate past MD/CE of the Corporation, Alhaji Ganiyu Ogunleye was earlier elected as Chairperson of the body.

    It further added that, “According to members, the unanimous decision to elect the NDIC Boss was in recognition of his achievements, requisite knowledge and experience in the Deposit Insurance System (DIS) which they belief will impact positively on the other members from Africa. They expressed optimism in his qualities and wealth of experience to effectively provide the desired leadership for the ARC. With the election of Ibrahim, the secretariat of the body effectively relocates to Nigeria until the end of his tenure.

    “The AGM also discussed other important issues relating to the growth of the DIS in the African Region and financial system stability.

    “Updates from African countries that recently established DIS and as well as those currently in the process of setting up the scheme were also presented at the forum.

    “Apart from Nigeria, the host country, other nations in attendance at the AGM include Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Swaziland, Rwanda and the West Africa Monetary Union Deposit Protection Board (WAMUDPB) based in Senegal.”

    It would be recalled that Umaru Ibrahim was elected twice into the Executive Management Committee of the IADI. His second term is yet to expire.

  • Pastor paraded for sexually assaulting 17 year-old maid

    The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NATIPP) on Thursday paraded a 43- year –old Pastor, Philip ‘Prince’ Olatunbosun for sexually harassing his 17-year-old house help.

    The suspect, who hails from Ondo State, was paraded along four other suspects for human trafficking and rape offences.

    The pastor, according to the agency, would sneak into the victim’s room and use his hands to fondle her breasts and other sexual genitals.

    NAPTIP’s Director-General, Julie Okah-Donli, who disclosed these at a briefing on Thursday in Abuja, said the move to parade the suspects, is in line with its ‘name and shame’ strategy of ending the twin problems.

    Represented by the Director of Investigation and Monitoring at the agency, Mr Josiah Emerole, she said NAPTIP would continue to go after traffickers until it makes the “country a safe place for the people.”

    She said: “Three of the cases have to do with rape and sexual violations against minors which are serious offences punishable under the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPPA) 2015.

    Read Also: Pastor jailed 54 months for theft

    “The other two are attempts by two suspects to traffic or smuggle other Nigerians out of the country using fraudulent means contrary to the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.”

    The NAPTIP boss appealed to parents especially the mothers to pay closer attention to their daughters because of the increasingly cases and spate of rape in the country.

    “To those out there who now take delight in destroying the lives of the girl child because of their uncontrollable sexual appetite, NAPTIP will no longer allow this to thrive.

    “For the traffickers, NAPTIP will continue to go after them until we make the country a safe place for the people,” she said.

    A 27-year-old taxi driver, James Eberechukwu Osuji, who hails from Imo State and resides in Abuja, was paraded for luring a 17-year-old female to his house and camped her there from Thursday, August 2, till Saturday, August 4, 2018.

    He was alleged to have drugged the victim and sexually violated her within those days.

    Also paraded for rape and sexual offences was a 31-year-old Chef, Innocent Etim who hails from Akwa Ibom and resides in Abuja.

    He was arrested for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl whose mother provides cooking assistance whenever he has a catering contract.

    Paraded for human trafficking offences was Mr Abiona David Oluwafemi Tobi, a man of various personalities.

    Using letter heads of the Federal Ministry of Health (Office of the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Healthcare), he signed letters to someone in Finland as Director, Policy, Planning, Research and Strategy.

    He tried to traffic 12 persons to Finland under the guise of embarking on Study Tour of Health facilities.

    The suspect in other letters, claimed to be of the Hospitals Management Board of the Ogun State Government, Office of the Ogun State Governor and the Director, Finance and Accounts of the Hospitals Board.

    Last to be arraigned was a 33-year-old mother of three, Asia Rita, who was alleged to be trafficking seven persons to Libya.

    She and the alleged victims were intercepted by officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Katsina and transferred to NAPTIP on Wednesday 29th August by the NIS Headquarters.

    According to the Director-General of NAPTIP, “we are grateful to the NIS for this collaborative effort. Investigations are still ongoing on this case.”

  • ‘Nigeria’s leadership is the missing link in Africa’s greatness’

    …SOTA advocates for coalition of alternative political parties and aspirants

    Renowned Kenyan legal scholar, Professor Patrick Lumumba, has noted that Nigeria is the missing link in Africa’s greatness.

    He made this known in his keynote speech at the Summit of The Alternatives (SOTA) held in Abuja on the 15th and 16th August, 2018.

    According to him, “Until African politicians, and by extension, the people get its politics right, Africa cannot realize its potential.

    “Chinua Achebe in his book The Trouble With Nigeria, explained that the problem of Nigeria is simply that of leadership.

    “I remember so vividly in 1963, when African leaders assembled in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, they were as passionate as they were correct; they were all envied in the early days…they all made sense.

    “When one listened to Nnamdi Azikiwe, he made sense. When one listened to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, he made sense. When one listened to the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, He made sense. A lot of other Africa leaders made sense.

    Read Also: Anti-graft war: Lessons from Singapore

    “We soon began to see a new breed of coup d’état leaders; the men in arms in the political arena.

    “That was when the rain started to beat us as a Nation.”

    He further added that: “Nigeria occupies such an important place not only in Africa, but in the world.

    “Nigeria is a leader when it comes to producing some of the greatest thinkers in Africa.

    “What continues to hold Nigeria down are the political elites; the politics of money. They should realize that when they lead Nigeria, they are also leading Africa.

    “When Nigeria sneezes, Africa catches a cold. Nigeria should realize that she should be the political mecca where African leaders pay pilgrimage.

    “Nigeria must improve agriculture, health, so that our president does not sojourn abroad for medical tourism.

    “Nigeria is blessed with everything you can think of but leadership; Nigeria has showed its leadership position in the African region through various peace keeping operations in Liberia, Sierra Leone and mention it, Nigeria is the only link to Africa’s success.”

    Global speakers and regional representatives joined participants at The Summit of The Alternatives (SOTA) to call for young, gender sensitive, competent, capable and credible leadership through the 2019 elections in Nigeria, as the two-day event focused on shaping narratives to redefine Nigeria’s political landscape through a coalition of credible alternatives.

    Giving the welcome address, the convener of the Red Card Movement, Dr. Oby Ezekwensili extensively introduced the idea behind the Summit of The Alternatives.

    She emphasized on the need for a new Nigeria of our dream and the economic implication of having a visionary leadership, with character, competence and capacity.

    The summit comprised of influencers and thought leaders that have demonstrated model character, competence and capacity in their various fields, with a strong desire to build and remodel through active engagement in Nigeria’s political space.

    The first day kicked off with a keynote speech the ‘A Rallying Cry for an Alternative’, as speakers and partners made presentations that centred on the need for Nigeria to get it right and insist on leadership criteria of character, competence and capacity.

    The event also included panel discussions to further drive the new agenda for a new Nigeria. Campaign/Party Finance; Cultivating Grassroots Movements; Media Approaches to Elections; Nuances and Metrics of Youth and Women Inclusion in today’s Democracy; INEC: An Overview of Electoral Preparations in the areas of hardware, software and process; Youth Inclusion and Building a Political Brand.

    The second day of the event had alternative political parties and presidential aspirants such Sowore Omoyele, Fela Durotoye, Dr Elishama Ideh, Professor Kingsley Moghalu, Emmanuel Etim, Dr Thomas- Wilson Ikubese, Engineer Martins Onovo, and Tope Fasua who addressed citizens on topical issues centred around the new Nigerian of our dream. These aspirants and political parties considered the need for a coalition of the 89 alternative political parties that will further strengthen the objectives of the summit.

    SOTA is a collaborative idea of different groups such as Red Card Movement, Centre for Democracy and Development, Yiaga Africa, Nigeria First Project, BudgIT, EiE Nigeria and passionate citizens Framing the New Nigeria of our dream.

     

  • Qualitative education could check violence and insecurity – NDIC boss

    The Managing Director/Chief Executive, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Umaru Ibrahim has advocated quality education as panacea to check the spate of violence and insecurity challenges currently being experienced in the country.

    The NDIC boss made the remark at the 15th Graduation Ceremony of Zaria Academy, Shika, Kaduna State where a science laboratory built and equipped by the Corporation was formally commissioned as part of its corporate social responsibility initiative.

    While lamenting the upsurge in violent crimes and other challenges of insecurity especially among youths in the country, Ibrahim expressed the belief that the situation could be attributed to poor and weak educational system.

    He therefore called for concerted efforts from all stakeholders to guarantee qualitative education for millions of the nation’s youths to prepare them for gainful employment opportunities and better living conditions.

    Ibrahim urged Nigerians to view the provision of quality education as the responsibility of all, describing complete reliance on government alone for delivery of quality education as unrealistic.

    Read Also: NDIC builds capacity for Uganda DPFU

    He called on the private sector to compliment government efforts, stating that the resources available to government could not provide the type of education required to produce graduates that were not only employable, but also adaptable to the rapidly changing global economy.

    The NDIC boss further said that the Corporation’s acceptance of the request from the Zaria Academy for the construction and equipping of its Science Laboratories which were razed by fire about two years ago was hinged on the pitiable and squalid education situation in the Northern states of the country.

    He expressed delight that the Corporation’s modest intervention largely contributed to the successes of the last two sets of graduates from the academy.

    While noting the low standard of education in the North and the low rate of Senior Secondary School enrolment, Ibrahim called on governors in the region to improve the educational standards of their states and also offer scholarships to bright indigent students.

     

  • Australia Alumni Association trains members on Project Management

    The Australia Alumni Association of Nigeria in Abuja on Thursday organized a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) program to build professional capacities and re-enforce the understanding of Project Management and Strategic Planning principles that would help its members excel in their various professional field.

    According to Dr Bridget Nwagbara, President of the association, “today we are having a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) program for our Alumni all over the country.

    “We have representatives from the six geopolitical zones of the country. We are basically building capacities and re-enforcing what the participants had already learnt during their scholarship period in Australia on the processes and practices of Project Management.

    “The scholarship is called Australia Awards.

    “All participants in the training has benefitted from the Australian Awards at one time or the other.

    “We also hope to learn and apply Project Management and Strategic Planning principles in our various places of work.

    Read Also: Oyo seeks Australia support for women development

    “Participants at the training come from very diverse sectors of the economy. We have participants from the health, mining, agriculture, public policy, judiciary, etc.”

    Mr. Gideon Peter, the facilitator of the program with E&F Management Consulting Limited, explained that Project Management is an “achiever’s” tool that cuts across every aspect of human endeavour.

    According to him, “when you approach your work with the mindset of a project manager, it helps you save time, work within budget and approved quality. You become more efficient and your deliveries and products are superior.

    Exploring the relevance of Project Management on the macro level of the Nigerian project, Mr. Gideon said, “in the Nigerian context, Project Management is actually what we need right now.

    “If you have the mindset of a project manager, the wastages across sectors will not exist.

    “Also, the undermining of the human resource will not happen because we will maximize the people and resources we have. This will lead us to have a better country.”

    A participant at the training, Dr Olajumoke Akiode, Executive Director, Centre for Ethics and Sustainable Development, said that the knowledge of Project Management will help expand her professional horizon and make her more efficient as a leader.

    Another participant, Dr. Ayo Shoyombo, said “I am here to benefit from the training on Project Management. I’m now a better manager on projects and the various tasks that has been committed to me.

    “Since Project Management cuts across all fields, I intend to pass the knowledge to my students as a lecturer in Landmark University.”

  • 3.5% budgetary allocation for agric not enough – OXFAM

    The Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) allocation for agriculture between 2014 – 2015 was 0.08% of the total funds of $2.2b disbursed to Nigeria by bilateral and multilateral donours.

    Health and education sectors received the largest shares of 68.43% and 18.56% respectively during the period.

    This was made known by the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP-Nigeria) in collaboration with Oxfam during a policy dialogue session on national budget in relation to climate change adaptation frameworks and policies in Abuja on Wednesday.

    The research titled National Budget In Relation To Climate Change Adaptation Frameworks and Policies in Nigeria by OXFAM and WANEP revealed that “the mean share of agriculture in the national budget between 2010-2015 periods was 1.5 %.”

    Although the percentage allocation for agriculture in the 2018 budget increased from 2.2% to 3.5%, this is still far below the benchmark of 10% national budget allocation stipulated at the African Union Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security in 2003 in Maputo, Mozambique.

    The research also observed that “there was a chequered pathway for ODA flows for Ministries of Budget and Planning, Agriculture, Environment, other MDAs and CSOs. This is due to largely uncoordinated processes and at best modest outcomes.”

    It further revealed that small scale farmers’ profile reflected their vulnerabilities to climate change, especially for females. It found that male farmers were generally older than females, had more years of farming experience, cultivated larger areas for farming (1.7h-m, 1.1h-f), earned higher incomes, had less access to land and credit, and had access to inputs and other facilities like water, inputs, Improved technology and extension services.

    The OXFAM study also itemized 10 unsettling facts that are undermining the efforts at achieving food security and justice under climate change.

    It said: “Small-scale farmers are not the focus of investments in climate change adaptation in Agriculture in Nigeria. Nigeria had the lowest share of spending on agriculture and rural development (4.9 per cent) as part of international aid between 2007 and 2015 behind countries like Pakistan, Tanzania , Philippines, Ethiopia  and Ghana; Nigeria’s population size is about equal to the combined populations of the six countries receiving the largest share of multilateral climate adaptation funding; Nigeria’s agriculture sector received 0.08% of aid in financial Year 2014-2015, significantly behind aid invested in health (68%) and education (19%); Nigeria’s budget spending on agriculture has remained significantly below Maputo target of 10 per cent.

    “Female small scale farmers have relatively poor access to resources; Female small scale farmers are worst affected by ineffectiveness of Government investment in agriculture; About 90 percent of farm holdings in Nigeria is less than two hectares in size; The rate at which climate change is happening is outpacing the effort of the small scale farmer to adapt; Over emphasis on the uptake of climate smart agriculture and agribusiness over agro-ecology to boost food production.”

    It noted that the “killer facts” if not adequately addressed could deal a fatal blow on efforts to attain food security in the short to long term in Nigeria.

    Read Also: Budget 2018 implementation: Sectors to prioritise, by analyst

    The National Network Coordinator (WANEP), Mrs. Bridget Osakwe, said the event was timely as it addressed issues that undermine food security in the country.

    According to the Influencing/Public Engagement Officer of OXFAM, Mr Abdulazeez Musa, “with adequate support, small-scale farmers throughout Nigeria could overturn rampant malnutrition and move the country towards food security. But as the Nigerian proverb goes, ‘fine words do not produce food’.

    “The government is pursuing a vision of economic transformation and commercialization with agriculture at the center, yet small-scale farmers are not the focus of investments.

    “Funding levels for agriculture and climate change adaptation are significantly lower than promises, and money is skewed towards larger scale projects and research.

    “The support that small-scale farmers need is straightforward – ranging from fertilizer to market access to climate change adaptation and strategies – and the Nigerian government must escalate investments to deliver these vital resources.”

    The Chairman of the Civil Societies and Development Partners, Hon. Peter O. Akpatason, noted that there is an inherent issue in the budget concerning allocation to agriculture that urgently needs to be cured.

    According to him, “the legislators and executive cannot solve it alone.

    “For the budget to work, we need a friendly engagement between legislators, executives and the civil society.

    “Moving up from 2.2 per cent to 3.5 per cent in budgetary allocation to agriculture is a quantum leap, but it can be better. We need more serious engagements.”

    According to the President of the National Association of Nigerian Traders, Barr. Ken Ukhuoha, “we need to question the budgetary allocation for the 36 states of the federation (including the FCT), private sectors investments and Overseas Development Assistance (ODA).

    “For example, the investment by OLAM exceeds that of some states in agricultural investments.”

    The availability of agric extension services to small scale farmers, access to funding, corruption and delay in the release of funds by Anchor Borrowers Program of the CBN, falsification of data in the implementation of grants in agricultural projects, inconsistency in policy implementation, Illiteracy (especially among female farmers) etc., were among the other issues raised by the participants at the event.

     

  • I’m a leader not a politician – Moghalu

    Professor Kingsley Moghalu, the presidential aspirant under the Young Progressive Party (YPP), has claimed that he has no interest in being a politician but a leader, stating that there should be no retreat nor surrender in the quest to take back the nation from the “old and recycled politicians who have no soul.”

    Moghalu made the statement during the ‘To Build a Nation’ town hall meeting at the National Centre for Women Development in Garki, Abuja on Tuesday.

    Speaking at the event, the former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria also said that 2019 will be a defining moment in the nation’s history, as Nigerians will have to “make a choice between poverty and prosperity; between stability and lack of cohesion; between security and insecurity”.

    Read Also: Moghalu vows to fight poverty, drug abuse

    He emphasized that Nigerians are ready to send old politicians into retirement during the 2019 elections by voting the right way, the leadership way, stating that the instrument to make that choice is the Permanent Voters Card.

    Decrying the lack of leaders with a worldview, Professor Moghalu said, “We will rebuild this country into a nation. We will set out a national ambition, a world view for this county and we will no longer continue to worship the God of small things such as oil and tribalism.”

    He further stated his intention to run an innovation-led and development-driven country, while also growing the economy by launching a 1 trillion Naira venture capital fund to invest in new businesses for young entrepreneurs.

    Upon being elected as President, Professor Moghalu explained that the federal government would also set up a skills acquisition Centre in all the 774 local governments in the country so that citizens can gain the skills to become great.

    He also promised to increase the budgetary allocation for education from the current 7 per cent to 20 per cent and healthcare allocation from 3 per cent to 15 per cent.