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  • IFAD distributes N8.6m rice processing equipment to farmers

    IFAD distributes N8.6m rice processing equipment to farmers

    The International Fund for Agricultural Development ( IFAD ) – Value Chain Development Programme ( VCDP ) on Tuesday distributed rice processing equipment worth N8.6 million to five women farmers groups in Niger.

    The State Programme Coordinator ( SPC ), Dr. Mathew Ahmed, while distributing the equipment to the farmers in Minna on Tuesday, said the measure would go a long way in creating jobs.

    According to him, it will also ensure that local rice farmers produce the crop in line with international best practices.

    “We are here today to distribute rice processing machines to our farmers to enable them produce rice that will compete favourably with the foreign rice.

    “Many of the foreign rice we eat today in Nigeria are not better than our local rice because they are expired but our local rice is fresh.

    Read also: Edo, Delta, Cross River fish farmers get equipment

    “Some of the foreign rice we eat constitute health hazards, hence the need for VCDP to ensure food security,’’ he said.

    The equipment distributed included five rice de-stoners, 10 rice parboilers, and 46 manual sprayers.

    The coordinator said IFAD-VCDP would subsidise the cost of the equipment.

    He explained that the groups selected from the five participating local government areas in the VCDP applied for the equipment.

    The local governments include Bida, Wushishi, Kontagora, Shiroro and Katcha.

    He said that aside training the farmers in mechanised farming in the value chain, the programme also trained them in using first-bottom approach to parboil rice.

    “We are presently working with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control ( NAFDAC ) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria ( SON ) to make sure that our farmers adhere to international best practices that will make their product accepted across the globe,’’ he said.

    He said that there were 13,000 farmers participating in rice and cassava value chain in the state.

    In her remarks, Dr Amina Bello, wife of the state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Bello commended IFAD-VCDP, saying that it had added value to the state’s agriculture drive.

    She was represented by Mrs Kaltume Rufai, the Permanent Secretary, Niger State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

    Bello urged the beneficiaries to utilise the equipment to ensure success of the programme.

    Responding on behalf of one of the beneficiary groups,  Hajiya Hadiza Yunusa, Chairman, Nufawamasu Gumi Rice Producers Association, Bida said that before the coming of IFAD-VCDP the colour of their rice was not attractive and contained impurities.

    Yunusa said that the VCDP had trained them on modern ways of cultivating, processing and marketing rice.

    “Now we sell our rice and cassava to other West African countries, our customers even book in advance,’’ Yunusa said.

    NAN

  • Lagos fixes N1.3m as tentative fare for 2018 Hajj

    Lagos fixes N1.3m as tentative fare for 2018 Hajj

    The Lagos State Muslim Pilgrims’ Welfare Board has announced the sum of N1.3 million as tentative fare for the 2018 Hajj exercise.

    Mr Muftau Okoya, Executive Secretary of the board, on Tuesday in Lagos said that sale of forms for the 2018 exercise has also commenced.

    He said that the early commencement of preparations was to avoid hiccups and to make payment easy and flexible for intending pilgrims.

    “Intending pilgrims are to collect forms from the Board’s office in Ikeja at the cost N10,000.

    “In respect of the Hajj fare, an initial deposit of N1.3 million has been approved, pending when the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria ( NAHCON ) will release the official price.

    “There is also an opportunity for installmental payment with at least N100,000 minimum deposits,” he said.

    He advised intending pilgrims to make payment on time to avoid logistics challenges experienced during last operation.

    “We have commenced preparations early to avoid some of such challenges.

    “The policy of first-come-first-served will be applied in the allocation of pilgrims to hotels, tents and other facilities by NAHCON,” he said.
    He noted that the increase in the number of pilgrim allocation to countries without commensurate upgrade in facilities created a major challenge during the 2017 Hajj.

    “Our greatest challenge in the last operation was in Muna.

    “There was an upsurge in the number of pilgrims because Saudi authorities admitted too many pilgrims at the detriment of the available facilities.

    “So the facilities were overstretched to the extent that Lagos pilgrims encountered the problem of accommodation in Muna.

    “But Lagos State pilgrims put their maturity to test by ensuring that these challenges were overcome with patience and understanding,” he said.

    NAN

  • Economist tasks youths on job creation

    Economist tasks youths on job creation

    A lecturer of Economics at Covenant University, Dr. Stephen Oluwatobi has advised Nigerian youths on job creation rather than job seeking.

    This is in view of the national bureau of statistics report which reveals that the unemployment rate in Nigeria increased by 14.2 percent in the last quarter of 2016 from 10.4 percent a year earlier.

    Dr. Stephen made this known at the 5th Youth Development Conference organized by the Young Breeds Development Initiative ( YBDI ) at Covenant University Otta over the weekend.

    While speaking with pressmen, Dr. Stephen noted that “if you don’t have money to start a business but have a specific knowledge, look for other people that need that need that knowledge charge them money to learn , you would make money without spending one naira , just your mouth and your head”.

    “You have something to start with” he further explained, “I have done a lot of deals that I never started with money, and I have meet a couple of persons who didn’t start their businesses with money either”.

    He further said that youths should not depend on anyone including the government “they is nobody in government that is taken from space, all of them came from the people, the president for instance was among the people, so it begins with the people it’s not just about the government, what you need is a window of opportunity to see what you can do, I encourage youths to become entrepreneurs no matter the situation, start something”.

    The conference organized by the Young Breeds Youth Development Initiative was focused on children and youth development in Africa.

    In an interview session with visionary behind the initiative, Mr. Abraham Owoseni, he mentioned that as young people grow into adulthood they are many things that should go on within the age range so young breeds is like a mediator in that process.

    “We are very confident that a new breed of young people are emerging from this conference who are holistically developed, it’s not a career conference it’s not a spiritual conference it’s an holistic one, we are very confident that a whole number or mindset shift have occurred we are very confident that a whole lot of personal decisions have also occurred, we are so confident because a new generation of young people are emerging,” he said.

  • EU proposes 40% quota of female board members

    EU proposes 40% quota of female board members

    To push for gender equality, the European Union ( EU ) proposed 40 per cent quota of female board members, The Guardian newspaper reported.

    Male members account for more than 60 per cent on company boards, a proposal brought up by the European commission.

    Under the proposal, the EU is required to give priority to female candidates over the same qualifications for a post when women constitute less than 40 per cent of the boards.

    Several European countries such as Germany, Hungary and Sweden have opposed previous attempts to reach the goal in consideration of preserving domestic affairs and ideology.

    Women empowerment at high ranks of companies is in slow progress in Europe.

    Women made up 29 per cent of British boards in 2016, down from 32.1 per cent in 2014 and 31.6 per cent in 2012, according to research by global leadership advisory firm Egon Zehnder.

    Statistics also show that the proportion of women on boards across the EU has more than doubled from 2005 to 2015.

    However, in terms of board chairs and chief executives, women take up less than 10 per cent in the largest listed companies.

    NAN

    Read Also: EU agrees on new labour rules to prevent social dumping

  • Osun denies increment in tuition fee

    Osun denies increment in tuition fee

    The Osun State Government has denied the increment in tuition fee. This was shown in a press release signed by the commissioner for Information and strategy, Adelani Baderinwa which reads thus, “the State Government of Osun has called on students in the state owned higher institutions to handle with sense of responsibility, their reservations on what they alleged as increase in school fees”.

    Government puts it on record that it has not authorised any increment in the tuition fees in any of the state owned tertiary institutions.

    As at today, the tuition fees of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree and the College of Technology, Esa-Oke remain N25, 000 while that of Osun state College of Education, Ilesa and Ila-Orangun is still N20, 000.

    For new students who have just applied to the institutions, some ancillary charges for some services, some of which are optional, were introduced and do not apply at all to current students.

    It is pertinent to remind the people that the Aregbesola government, at its inception and without being persuaded in 2011 reduced the tuition fees of all the state owned tertiary institutions from N45,000 to N25,000. Since the reduction in 2011, the government has not put a penny on the tuition fees.

    Government wishes to state that the managements of the tertiary institutions are autonomous and they have authority to fix reasonable charges to ensure availability and maintenance of some needful resources that enhance learning.

    Government of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola reiterates its commitment to promoting functional and affordable education, the manifestation of which is the improvement in the standard of education in the state.

    The government calls on the students to be peaceful and orderly in their protest. It is true that protest is legitimate but they should not be allowed to be hijacked by miscreants and political jobbers who are always looking for such avenue to unleash unpleasant experiences on the people. They should be informed that the rights of other people start from where theirs end”.

  • Edo cuts traders tax by 180%

    Edo cuts traders tax by 180%

    Edo Government has granted traders in Oredo Local Government Area a 180 per cent reduction in the annual rates as tax waiver following several appeals from the traders.

    The Deputy Governor, Mr Philip Shaibu, disclosed this on Monday in Benin during a meeting with executives of the traders at Government House, Benin.

    Shaibu said that those in half shops would now pay N8,000 as against N25,000 previously, while those in full shops would pay N12, 000 as against N40,000.

    He said that the implementation of the new tax regime would commence by Nov. 27, adding that all tax payers would be notified before then.

    Shaibu said that Gov. Godwin Obaseki had directed that taxes must be collected with “human face” and urged tax payers to comply with tax collectors by paying promptly.

    The Chairman of the traders, Mr Collins Ohizu, commended the state government for the tax reduction and appealed for further reduction.

    Read Also:  Ijaw warns Obaseki against arresting Edo monarch

  • Babcock VC assures new students of support

    Babcock VC assures new students of support

    The Vice Chancellor, VC Babcock University, Shagamu has assured newly admitted students that the university will give them all the needed support to achieve their dreams.

    He spoke while delivering a speech during the 2017 matriculation ceremony held at the school’s stadium.

    He said: “You who are matriculating today are beginning your journey of success in life, to become outstanding professionals and distinguished professors in your chosen fields.”

    He told the 3,068 matriculants consisting of 2,542 undergraduate and 526 post graduate students that they have chosen the best university.

    According to him: “In an increasing sophisticated and changing world as ours, the need for the right capacities to be relevant and competitive is not negotiable. The more we realise the continuing complexities of our societies, the more it requires of our commitment to the highest educational ideals to compellingly respond to it and deal with it in an outstanding fashion.

    “Babcock University as an institution founded on the principle of leadership through Christian education with the vision to transform lives, places absolute regard on excellence, integrity, accountability, and the Adventist heritage define us as a unique training ground.”

    Saying the University accepts the challenge of giving meaning to the human life, he said that is why “our healthcare service is constructed on the advanced framework to restore value to human life through quality healthcare and medical education.”

     He told the students that their training in Babcock guarantees them the confidence to march through in life with the power and authority to advance the frontiers of national development and international cooperation.

    “In the course of your training here, you can always look into the future with the assurance that you are part of the tool to reshape the world for the common good of man,” he added.

  • Boko Haram beheads six farmers in Borno

    Boko Haram beheads six farmers in Borno

    The Islamic Boko Haram group has beheaded six farmers at Dimge plantation in the Mafa Local Government Area of Borno.

    The killing is the latest in a string of attacks in the violence wracked North-East, where more than 20,000 people have been killed in nine years of insurgency.

    The killing occurred on Nov. 19, while the farmers worked on their farms in the plantation, an eye-witness, Jiddah Ahmad, told our correspondent in Jere town, near Maiduguri on Monday.

    Ahmad said that the insurgents abducted seven farmers as they worked on their farms and slaughtered six of them in a nearby bush.

    Ahmad, who is a younger brother to one of the slain farmers, said that two of the slain farmers were from Lawanti Gongulon Village in Jere.

    According to him, the remaining four are from Masu Community in the Mafa Local Government Area of the state.

    “My brother was working in the farm together with other farmers. They were accosted by the insurgents when they went to fetch water at a river.

    “The insurgents shot my brother before beheading him and beheaded another farmer on the same spot while an old farmer was set free,” Ahmad said.

    A member of the Civilian Joint Task Force, Usman Muhammad, also told our correspondent that the insurgents had earlier slaughtered four other farmers at the same plantation.

    Muhammad disclosed that the insurgents came to the farm on motorbikes and attacked the farmers.

    He said that the insurgents forced an aged farmer among the abductees to witness the brutal murder of other farmers, telling him to convey the message to families of the victims.

    “We are currently seeking clearance from the military authorities to enable us to evacuate the corpses for proper burial,” he said.

    The military and police authorities have yet to make statements on the latest killings.

    The military authorities have said that they have completely degraded Boko Haram but the group has continued to pack bloody punches on a regular basis.

    Nigeria’s North-East has remained the hotbed of the insurgency, although other areas of the country, including Abuja and Lokoja have not been spared.

    NAN

  • Okorocha congratulates Obiano over his re-election

    Okorocha congratulates Obiano over his re-election

    Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo has congratulated the candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance ( APGA ) in the Nov. 18 Anambra governorship election, Gov. Willie Obiano, over his re-election.

    in the Nov. 18 Anambra governorship election, Gov. Willie Obiano, over his re-election.

    Okorocha gave the congratulatory message in a statement by  his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Sam Onwuemedo, on Monday in Owerri.

    The governor said that Obiano’s victory was too clear to be contested or questioned.

    He, therefore, advised candidates of other political parties who took part in the election to congratulate the winner and avoid going to court to question his victory.

    Okorocha, who is  also the Chairman, All Progressives Congress ( APC ) Governors’ Forum, expressed regret over the loss of his party in the election.

    He attributed the loss to internal wrangling and the lack of genuine commitment on the part of the party’s leadership in the state.

    He, however, expressed the hope that with the election, the future of APC in the South-East was bright.

    He said that before now, nobody would have thought that APC could do better in Anambra.

    The governor urged Nigerians to celebrate President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC led-government “for allowing level playing ground for all candidates.

    “The Anambra election shows that the APC has what it takes to strengthen the nation’s democracy.”

    Okorocha thanked the people of Anambra for the peaceful election and for not yielding to IPOB’s threats or listen to the group’s call for boycott.

    A total of 37 political parties presented candidates in the Nov. 18 Anambra governorship election.

    Some of the candidates were the incumbent, Gov. Willie Obiano, with his Deputy, Nkemakonam Okeke, who contested on the platform of APGA, while Oseloka Obazie of PDP had Chidi Onyemelukwe, a woman as his running mate.

    Tony Nwoye of APC had Dozie Arinze, a woman, as his running mate.

    NAN

  • I will enforce PDP Constitution, implement reform reports – Dokpesi

    I will enforce PDP Constitution, implement reform reports – Dokpesi

    The founder of Daar Communications, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, says he is ready to enforce the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Constitution and implement various reports aimed at repositioning the party, if elected its national chairman.

    Dokpesi made the pledge during his national chairmanship campaign meeting with the PDP Nasarawa and the North-Central Executives and party leaders, on Monday in Lafia.

    He said that the party was still facing some of the challenges that made it to lose elections 2015.

    According to him, the PDP, as a strong political party, needs bold and committed leaders to address the issue of imposition, impunity and disrespect for its constitution.

    “I am committed to enforcing the basis of the PDP Constitution. I am committed to reversing the mistakes we had made over the years contained in various reports.

    “PDP cannot say it did not know, but the courage to really implement what has been recommended has been our major problem ,” Dokpesi said.

    He promised to work with the zonal and state leaders for PDP to regain power in the North-Central states in future elections by going into the field with them.

    Dokpesi said that the PDP recorded a lot of achievements in its 16 years of administration.

    “There is no need for us to have lost elections in Benue, Plateau and Nasarawa, if not for impunity, disrespect for party constitution and regulations, refusal to obey our zoning principle which is popular in our constitution and government.

    “It affected us not only at states level, but also up to the national level.

    “This is the time for us to elect the right leaders to correct the mistakes and challenges.

    “We must elect people who are ready to admit those mistakes that we had made and are ready to correct them.”

    Dokpesi urged delegates to the December convention to vote for the future of the party by electing credible people, who could rebrand the party to win in  2019.

    The Director-General of Dokpesi Campaign Organisation, Mr Baba Kachalla, described Dokpesi as a strong leader who could build a new PDP.

    “We need a strong and credible leader to lead the party as a departure from the past mistakes, and we have that in Dokpesi,” Kachalla said.

    The PDP North-Central National Vice Chairman, Mr Theophilus Shan, stressed the need for PDP to make a decision it would not regret.

    Shan described Dokpesi as a leader who had made much sacrifice for the party, saying: “we in the North-Central know that you have all it takes to lead PDP.”

    The PDP Nasarawa State Chairman, Mr Francis Orogu, said that the party members were watching and listening in electing PDP national leaders by themselves.

    Orogu, who prayed for the success of Dokpesi, said that he had all it takes to win the election.

    “You cannot lose election in these states of the country, except if God decided otherwise.

    “We are still talking and pleading with those that matter that irrespective of whom we have in our minds we should allow the right person to emerge.

    “This is important so that the party can move forward, and by extension, the country will have democratic leaders that will give us a better future president that will be accepted,” he said.