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  • Anchor Borrowers Programme creates 132,260 jobs, says CBN

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said 255 private and 14 state government anchors have so far participated in Anchor Borrowers’ Programme as at June, this year. This is in addition to 1,140,854 farmers producing 17 different agricultural commodities.

    Its Director, Corporate Communications Department, Isaac Okorafor who spoke in Abuja on Thursday during the bank’s special day at the on-going Abuja International Trade Fair, said the CBN has 29 intervention programes targeted at various stakeholders groups, such as framers, women, youth, and Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs).

    “Some of these interventions, which had contributed significantly in driving Nigeria’s economic growth and development include, the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund designed to chanel low interest funds to the NSMEs  sub- sector to enhance access by entrepreneurs, especially women and people living with disability,” he explained.

    Read Also: No more non-performing loans, CBN warns banks

    Other interventions of the apex bank, Okorafor said include Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme which commenced in 2009 to fast track development of agric sector.

    He said a total of 132,260 jobs have been created along the various agricultural value chains through the Commercial Agricultural Credit Sheme of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

    The jobs were created through the bank’s Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme that commenced in 2009 to fast-track the development of the agricultural sector. the scheme provides credit facilities to commercial agricultural enterprises at a single digit interest rate.

    He said the figure was compiled since the inception of the project in 2015 to June 2019.

  • Afreximbank seeks channels for cross-border trade

    The President, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), Prof Benedict Oramah, has urged African countries to create vehicles that would make it possible for manufacturers to trade across the continent.

    Oramah, who spoke yesterday in New York during a high-level event on the Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa, 2016-2019, organised at the United Nations Headquarters, said manufacturers needed somebody to handle the export and trading of their products as they were not equipped for those roles.

    He said export trading has been one of the approaches used to tackle that challenge, adding that the creation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) also attempted to address the issue.

    Read Also: AfCFTA: Why Nigeria may not benefit from Afreximbank’s interventions

    Prof. Oramah said that previous efforts by African countries to use manufacturing and industrialisation as engines for development and growth had failed, largely as a result of issues, such as lack of access to market, lack of capital and skills and inadequate infrastructure, pointing out that many large-scale investors had little interest in investing in Africa in a massive way because of the fragmented nature of the African market.

    He said  Africa should focus more on labour-intensive manufacturing which had more net effect on the population than on capital intensive industries, stressing the need for Africa to focus on skills development, in particular, by going back to building technical schools and supporting universities of technology in order to equip people with the right skills for the kind of jobs that were beginning to emerge.

    He said Afreximbank has launched an equity investment fund – the Fund for Export Development in Africa, which would help attract foreign direct investment to support industrialisation and manufacturing in Africa.

    Also participating in the session were Director-General, United Nations Industrial Organisation; Li Yong, African Union Commissioner for Trade and Industry; Albert Muchanga, President, African Development Bank; Dr. Adewunmi Adesina, Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Dr. Vera Songwe and the Vice Chairman, AfroChampions Club, Ali Mufuruki.

    The high-level event, held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, had the theme “Promoting innovation and infrastructure development: A pathway for boosting manufacturing in the Fourth Industrial Revolution”.

  • National Hospital losing original focus, says Maryam Abacha

    Mrs Maryam Abacha, widow of a former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, has expressed concern that the National Hospital in Abuja (NHA) may have lost its original focus on women and children.

    She said it was becoming a secondary care provider, instead of playing the role of a national referral facility.

    Mrs Abacha spoke yesterday during a lecture for NHA’s 20th anniversary celebration in Abuja.

    Amidst praises for the management and board of the hospital for the infrastructural facility development and other expansion efforts since its inception, there were also knocks where the hospital was found wanting.

    Mrs Abacha said: “Conceived as National Hospital for Women and Children, this hospital is a principal and cardinal outcome of the Family Support Programme (FSP) as outlined by the blueprint in the Health sector.

    “The hospital has carved a niche for itself, institutionally, not only within our nation but beyond our shores, especially in ECOWAS sub-region and the African continent.

    Read Also: Abacha family to Adoke: your claims on Malabu false

    “I have, since its establishment, even after leaving office, taken keen interest in the activities, progress and developments at the hospital. Please, permit me to highlight equally some other developments which I think do not augur well for the image and progress of the hospital.

    “Some of these developments include alleged negligence. There have been other complaints, such as improper or inadequate attention to patients, long registration processes and waiting time by patients, attitude problem by hospital workers towards patients, unavailability of prescribed drugs, among others.

    “It must be acknowledged that these complaints may not be peculiar to only the National Hospital. However, the National Hospital, as a centre of excellence, needs to do better in service delivery that is devoid of complaints of this nature.

    “Added to this is the pain I have that the hospital, with its original focus on women and children, is seemingly losing focus and becoming a secondary care provider, instead of playing the role of a national referral facility.”

    The former First Lady said the hospital was a product of FSP, which was one of her husband’s policies on heath development, and meant to cater for women and children.

    “The National Hospital, as well known, is a symbolic national monument for all Nigerians, which should be devoid of prejudices, politics, creed, religion, ethnic bias or sentiment.

    “Also, through my interaction with some persons who frequently attend this hospital, I got to know of some other observations.

    “The hospital is not fully information technology-compliant as it does not have area network arrangement among prescribing doctors, laboratories, pharmacies and other departments, such that patients do not have to physically hand-carry lab examination results to the doctor for action,” she added.

  • Police free 300 dumped in Kaduna ‘Islamic centre’

    • Chained victims relive toture, sexual slavery
    • PhD holder among ‘detainees’

    More than 300 people were on Thursday evacuated from a house in Rigasa, a community in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State by the police.

    They were conveyed in 15 commercial buses after a raid on the building in which the occupants were chained to prevent them from escaping.

    The house, named: “Daru Imam Ahmad Bun Hambal” operated as an Islamic school. The children (all male), alleged that they were being sexually abused.

    Senior students and instructors perpetrated the sexual act on the boys.

    Our reporter, who witnessed the raid, led by Commissioner of Police  Ali Aji Janga, observed that majority of the ‘inmates’ were chained on both legs, and others chained to generating sets and vehicle alloy rims.

    Read Also: Police exhume 10 bodies from shallow graves

    Some of the inmates who jubilated on sighting the team of policemen, showed reporters the scars of the injuries they sustained from torture in the hands of their instructors.

    Many of them claimed they are from Burkina Faso, Mali and Ghana and other African countries.

    One of them, Hassan Yusuf, a PhD holder in Energy Economics, recounted how he was dragged to the centre two years ago by his family, who accused him of converting from Islam.

    Yusuf said: “I have been here for two years. I just found myself here one morning two years ago. My extended family accused me of converting to Christianity, just because I spent 16 years in the UK and married to a Briton.

    “For them, they think they are helping me because, since I became a Christian, I am supposed to die. But bringing me here according to them is to deradicalise me instead of death.

    “Now, I am diabetic, I can’t access drugs and all the foods they give us here are carbohydrate.”

    Another inmate, Bello Hamza, 42, said he was tricked into the centre by his family. He claimed that his family members were interested in taking over his share of family inheritance.

    He said: “I have spent three months here with chains on my legs. I’m supposed to be pursuing my Masters degree in the University of Pretoria, South Africa. I got admission to study Applied Mathematics, but here I am, chained.

    “They claim to be teaching us Qur’an and Islam, but they do a lot of things here. They subject the younger ones to homosexuality.

    “This is supposed to be an Islamic centre, but trying to run away from here attracts severe punishment; they tie people and hang them to the ceiling for that, but engaging in homosexuality attracts no punishment.

    ”Within my short stay here, somebody had died from torture. Others have died before I came due to poor health and torture. They give us very poor diet and we only eat twice a day (11am and 10pm).

    “They have denied me a lot of things here. I am a family man, I have responsibilities, but I am chained here not knowing what is happening to members of my family.

    The police commissioner told reporters that the raid was triggered by a tip off.

    CP Janga said: “We received information that something is going on in this rehabilitation centre or Islamic centre. So, I sent my DPO here to check what was going on. On getting here, we discovered that, this is neither a rehabilitation centre nor an Islamic school.

    “You can see it for yourself that little children, some of who are brought from neighbouring African countries like Burkina Faso, Mali and others and from across Nigeria. Most of them are even chained.

    “These people are being used, dehumanised. You can see it for yourself. The man who is operating this home claimed that parents brought their children here for rehabilitation. But, from the look on things, this is not a rehabilitation centre. No reasonable parent will bring his children to this place.

    “So, we are going to investigate them and get to the root of the matter. We will find out the real motive behind this centre, and if they are found wanting they will be charged to court.

    “But first, we are evacuating all the people from this place to our station and we will make announcement for parents to come and recover their children.”

    The proprietor, simply identified as Malam, said all they do in the centre “is to teach people Islam.”

    He said: “All those allegations of torture, dehumanisation and homosexuality are false and mere allegations. We do nothing here other than teaching people Islam.

    “They don’t do anything other than, recitation of Qur’an, pray and worship God. Those chained are the stubborn ones who attempt running away. Those who don’t attempt running away are not chained. Some were chained before and after settling down, they were freed.

    ”Most of them were brought by their parents from across the country and others from outside the country.”

  • Two schools upgraded in Lagos

    Two upgraded public schools have been inaugurated in Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area, Lagos State.

    The two schools, Irepodun Primary School and Alapere Primary School now boast 14 new blocks of classrooms, equipped computer room, lavatory, kee-Klamp for food vendors, water point, and interlocking pavers.

    Speaking at the commissioning event, Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs Hon Yetunde Awobieke said the project will improve the quality of education in the institution and inspire the students, teachers and their parents.

    Read Also: Lagos schools get classrooms, computers

    She lauded the LCDA Chairman, Mayor Dele Oshinowo, for the project.

    Oshinowo, said the gesture was is in fulfillment of the administration’s commitment to promoting the well-being of children through the provision of quality and affordable education.

    “Our administration is committed to using the taxpayers’ money of this LCDA to better the lives of the citizenry. This gesture is a pointer to the use of education as a tool for development in the society.”

    He noted a lot of projects have been done in the LCDA and more ongoing, adding that the administration is open to partnership.

  • Godwin Odiye: fans abused my family over own goal

    He peeled off the date, place and time, the moment the event was mentioned ‘Odiye infamous header.’

    “How can I forget? he blurted and went ahead to vividly describe the goal that dashed Nigeria’s dream of qualifying for its first World Cup in Lagos against the Tunisia and Nigerians had to endure 17 years’ long wait before featuring at the biggest global football tournament.

    “That goal was the highlight of my football career and it defined the course of my life, thereafter,” began Odiye in a recent interview with The Nation while on a recent visit to the country from his base in the USA. “Months before that game, I remember that famous commentator, the late Ernest Okonkwo, was pestering me to sign for his favourite club, Rangers International, but I preferred to play in Benin, as I am from that part of the country and besides I don’t speak Igbo, so I told him no.”

    Back to the own goal. “We were hard pressed to score a goal when the game was about 15 minutes to end and we went into massive attack with Christian Chukwu overlapping and supporting our midfielders.

    Read Also: Hits, misses: footballers who angered fans

    “I was the only one behind and I got a pass from Muda Lawal supporting the defence and I immediately passed it on to Sam Ojebode at left-back. Ojebode ventured into attack but his cross was headed back to a Tunisian who controlled the ball and raced down the left side position.

    “As I was alone with no help coming I took a decision that, if the Tunisian player crossed the ball, I will go for a corner kick header. The player did what I expected from him, but it was a spin, which grazed my head. Meanwhile, goalkeeper (Emmanuel) Okala had come out and the ball was in the net.

    “What surprised me mostly was the noise from the commentary box. Okonkwo was shouting repeatedly, ‘Nigeria score Nigeria’ and that must have enraged our fans and many Nigerians that were listening on radio.

    “I think he did it to get back to me for not signing for Rangers and I was really disappointed. It was not funny after the game as I was smuggled out of the stadium by my friends.”

    The drama became fiercer for Odiye. “The following day, I wanted to gauge people’s feeling, so I got on a bus heading towards the National Stadium and all the talks were about the game and me and I was called all sorts of name and some even abused my forefathers.

    “One man sitting beside me rained curses on me not knowing he was talking to the same Odiye. I did not say a single word but when I alighted he looked back, recognised me and I waved at him. Thereafter, I made up my mind that football was not for me. Though I came back to win the Nations Cup in 1980, I knew football wasn’t my thing.”

  • Hits, misses: footballers who angered fans

    They are paid handsomely and are expected to always deliver. Some have the weight of a nation’s expectations hanging on their shoulders. But, footballers are not robots. Yet, some have paid the price for their errors. ADEYINKA ADEDIPE recalls some talented footballers who lost their fans’ favour.

    Sportsmen, especially footballers, are some of the best paid athletes in the world. Their astronomical transfer fees and weekly wages are some of the highest. The best among them take home as much as a million pound/dollars weekly.

    Also, the huge pay from their endorsement deals is mouth-watering. They live a luxurious life due to the humongous wealth they command and they become the envy of everyone.

    However, the burden of expectation weighs them down as they need to perform at optimum level all the time.

    Some view them as superhuman. They are not expected to make mistakes especially at the sports ground as it could have dire consequences.

    It could lead to being ostracised from the team; some could be demoted to the junior team as well as placed on transfer as the club becomes desperate to ship them out.

    The most harrowing outcome for failing, however, is fans apathy. Supporters who once idolised them would turn their back on them and even demand their removal from the team.

    If the management or coaches are reluctant to remove them, the fans would vent their spleen on the footballers by booing them while in action, while the consequence for the reluctant coaches and management could be fatal.

    Neymar…a football genius who divides opinion

    History is replete with players who suffered from poor judgement while doing their jobs. On the international scene, Brazilian superstar, Neymar, a genius can single–handedly wreck any team on a good day. He has been the poster boy of Brazilian soccer since his emergence at Santos. He is renowned for mesmerizing runs and artistry on the pitch. He ghosts past opposition players with the speed of light.

    However, his penchant for showboating and selfish play has pitted him against his teammates, especially in his current club, Paris Saint Germain FC in France.

    The first altercation he had at the club was trying to take over penalty duties, albeit rudely, from Edinson Cavani, who was the regular penalty taker before the Brazillian joined the French club.

    He also incurred the wrath of Barcelona fans when he forced a move away from the Spanish club. The club fans who once supported him were happy to see him leave rather than have a divided team due to the overbearing attitude of the Brazilian megastar.

    Neymar tried to force his way back to the Catalan club in the last transfer window but the move failed as Barcelona came up short of PSG’s valuation of the player.

    At PSG, the fans are asking Neymar to leave. Though the club’s sporting director Leonardo said on the eve of the season opener that talks about the Brazilian’s exit were “more advanced than before”, fans held up a banner telling Neymar to “go away” during the opening game.

    However, he stays for now and might be leaving Paris in January if the deal goes through.

    Ozil…mercurial but inconsistent

    German International Mesut Ozil has increasingly come under fire at Arsenal due to what the fans perceived as a ‘laid-back’ attitude when playing for the Gunners.

    He is a genius who can destroy any team on a good day just like he did when he dribbled the entire backline of Ludogerets of Bulgaria including the goalkeeper to score a memorable goal in a UEFA Champions League game. The former Real Madrid man also has a knack for spraying defence-splitting passes to teammates.

    It was the same allegation that led to his exit from the national team when he was fingered for the German’s first round exit at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

    The Germans were the defending champions and many had thought that the well-oiled German machine would retain the title. But it was not to be as the team unceremoniously and surprisingly exited the competition in the first round to the dismay of their teeming fans who vent their spleen on the winger.

    Ozil, who is still on Arsenal’s books, may not be there for long as the London club hopes to ship him out as soon as possible to balance its book. The German is currently on a £350,000 weekly wage.

    Bale…in and out of Madrid team

    At the time of his transfer to Real Madrid on September 1, 2013 for a reported fee of between €91 million and €100 million, former Tottenham Hotspur forward Gareth Bale was tipped to be one of the greatest Galaticos. Moreso, he had the mercurial Cristiano Ronaldo as his teammate who he also played against in the Premier League.

    His sojourn in Spain started well as he warmed himself into the hearts of Bernabeu die-hard fans with eye-catching displays. He scored beautiful goals along the way, some of them screamers after mazy runs. But after a successful first three seasons, the former Southampton man has been blamed for most of the problems of the team especially after Ronaldo’s departure to Juventus.

    He was accused of not being friendly with teammates, as well as not speaking Spanish despite his long stay in Spain. He also fell out with the fans, with his gesture during games not going down well them.

    And with the return Coach Zinedine Zidane, who continuously said that he was not part of his plan for the new season, it was almost inevitable that the Welsh strong man would leave.

    However, after the Galaticos were pummeled 7-3 by city rivals Atletico Madrid in a pre-season friendly, Real President Florentino Perez halted Bales transfer to the Chinese league, saying that he could not leave on a free transfer.

    Luiz…good with long passes but erratic

    Brazil international David Luiz, who joined Arsenal in the last transfer window, was actually told by Chelsea fans to leave. His offence: His horrendous performance against Salzburg in one of the pre-season games, which Chelsea won 5-3. It was too much for the Stamford Bridge faithful to take and they duly told the curly-haired Brazilian to leave.

    Luiz was not in his best form for the Blues in that game that was played on July 31 and fans took to social media to express their anger. They were of the opinion that Luiz is not the type of player that should be on Chelsea’s book following his horrendous performance against Salzburg. Some fans also believe that the former Paris-Saint-Germain star is the worst ever defender to play for the London club.

    Apart from falling out with the fans due to his erratic style of play, reports emerged few days before his sensational transfer to Arsenal that he did not get along well with his former team mate, Frank Lampard, who is the current coach. It was also gathered that he was not guaranteed playing time hence the need for Luis to move.

    Balotelli…talented player full of antics

    Mario Balotelli’s antics and indiscipline are well documented. The talented Italian’s penchant for getting into trouble has seen him fight with his former coach Roberto Mancini at Manchester City, where he won the Premier League crown.  He is currently with Brescia, a club too small for his prodigious talent.

    Balogun, Aiyegbeni…good players who made costly mistakes

    On the home front, Leon Balogun’s schoolboy defending in the final group game against Madagascar at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has earned him the name ‘robot’, with some fans wondering whether the 31-year-old has a future in the team, while others are calling for his exit from the team.

    To be fair to the former Mainz defender, he did not get much game-time in his debut season with Brighton and Hove Albion in England, which could have made him rusty for the AFCON, but Coach Gernot Rohr kept faith him.

    However, his terrible mistake which gifted Madagascar their opening goal in the 2-0 defeat of the Eagles will hunt the defender for a long time. Balogun misjudged a pass and what should have been a routine clearance by the defender was wrongly executed, giving the Madagascar striker the chance to bury the Eagles. The mistake may have cost him his place as Rohr is already shopping for his replacement.

    Yakubu Aiyegbeni might have score 172 career goal in 428 games but missing from three metres out against South Korea was unpardonable for fans. Nigerian lost the first two games at the tournament but still had a chance to progress if the Eagles defeated the Koreans but the former Julius Berge FC attacker sensationally lost the chance from three metres to the relief of the stunned Koreans, while the entire stadium watched in disbelief.

    The former Everton man scored a penalty, which earned Nigeria a 2–2 draw, but was not enough for Eagles to progress out of the group stages. However, the Nigerian fans had had enough and they were equivocal on the need to find a better striker for the team. After playing sparingly for the Eagles, Aiyegbeni took a bow from the team in 2012, giving room for the emergence of new point men for the Eagles.

    With few clubs already solely owned by fans, it is clear that the decision making power is gradually shifting to the terraces where faithful football fans will begin to take decisions in the best interests of their darling teams.

  • Progressive initiatives

    The Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) recently inaugurated two committees, the Governance Programme Steering Committee and the Legislative Programme Steering Committee.

    Why is this important? First, I confess my bias for genuine progressive governance, not one that appropriates the appellation without appreciating the substance of what progressivism entails. I supported APC in 2015 because while sixteen years of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had been good for the men and women in the corridors of powers and their hangers-on, it produced untold misery for the development of the nation and thus for the masses who ought to be the beneficiaries of governance.

    In 2015, I thought that with a progressive government in power at the federal and state levels, there was a good chance for initiatives that put the masses at the center of governance. Naively, I expected those who subscribed to the manifesto of the victorious party to be all in with its requirements. I was wrong. For as it turned out, many were Progressives in Name Only (PINO).

    What with the hustle for personal advancement at the expense of collective achievement on behalf of progressive ideology? Or the open confrontation on the part of a hostile National Assembly against party initiatives? Or state executive misfits whose penchant for profanity outweighed and compromised the good they were capable of doing? Unfortunately, the paint brush of shame and dishonour that is justifiably applicable to a few ended up smearing the collective. Until the dam broke and the shameless lot got blown away by the storm.

    In 2019, I also supported APC for two reasons. First, it occurred to me that the challenges the party had between 2015 and 2019 were principally because its rank was infiltrated by strange bedfellows with a retrogressive mindset. Rid of that element in the runup to the 2019 elections, I surmised that the party could muster the combined strength of like-minded progressives for the good of the country. Second, I deeply resent PDP as a party which so egregiously betrayed the trust of the nation for sixteen years. The breach of trust was so glaring that the party itself felt the need to tender an apology to the nation, and even contemplated changing its name. How could such a party dare to come back within four years to seek another mandate to rule? Was that a test of national memory?

    Compare our situation in 2019 with the US presidential election of 2012. In 2008, Barack Obama won the election mainly because of the coherent policies he laid out to rescue the nation from the great recession into which it was plunged in the eight years of Republican administration. Obama and his team worked so hard that in 2012 the economy was on recovery mode. Yet the Republicans who ruined it in the first place had the gut to complain that the recovery was too slow! Of course, the people knew the facts and they gave Obama a second term to continue his recovery efforts. Nigeria was in a similar situation in 2019. And the people knew which party ruined their lot and which party had tried its best to focus on recovery.

    However, the people also want a consistency of policies and programmes from the ruling party at federal and state levels. But since all politics is local and the greatest impact of governance will most likely be felt at the state level, the new initiatives by PGF are timely and heartwarming.

    From the snippets provided in its media briefings, a few elements of the Governance Programme Steering Committee initiative are clear. For the Committee, the goal is uniformity of policy initiatives, with a focus on strengthening the capacity of APC states for implementing approved initiatives. Since it is their initiative, there is a buy-in by the governors, and the target is party manifesto and campaign promises. There will be peer review of states’ implementation of party programmes.  Finally, the need is recognised for ultimately highlighting the distinction between APC on one hand, and PDP and other parties on the other hand in terms of policies and programmes. It is all well and good.

    On its part, the Legislative Programme Steering Committee will synergise the interactions between the executive and the legislature across the country; help contextualise government processes and decisions in terms of the legal frameworks governing them; monitor government operations, gather and evaluate information and recommend action to PGF; promote the interest of PGF member-states with regard to laws, regulations, and policies that may affect them; and promote cordial relations between legislatures and executives in APC states.

    The two initiatives are certainly timely and proactive. But what will it take for these initiatives to succeed? It will take discipline and it will take fidelity to progressive governance ideas.

    First, the requirement of discipline is a no-brainer. We saw what havoc indiscipline wrought between 2015 and early 2019. When party members appear to be laws unto themselves and the supremacy of the party as a sine qua non of party success is thrown out the window, it won’t matter what progressive ideas have proved effective in other climes. Self-interest and hubris will always ensure that such ideas get pushed to the back burner of governance to the detriment of the masses. And with ego-driven conflicts between the executive and the legislature, progressive legislation designed for the good of the state is bound to suffer. Therefore, while the initiatives are great, what comes out of them will depend pretty much on the self-discipline and commitment on the part of actors.

    Second, the requirement of fidelity to progressive governance ideas is self-explanatory. A progressive party in government must set its eyes on the prize of implementing progressive policies for the development of citizens as human beings with inherent dignity, a priceless possession that has been unfortunately devalued and abused in a nation that glorifies material possession at the expense of human dignity.

    Three areas promised in the party’s manifesto and campaigns are worthy of attention for a common agenda across APC states. Education is key to the development of human talent. Unfortunately, the nation has ceded its responsibility to educate citizens to the private sector. The result is that only those with the resources that the private sector demands in return for good education have access to it. Thus, we now have two classes of citizens, contrary to the progressive ideal.

    Health is another agenda item. States have shared responsibility with the federal government on health and education. It is unfortunate, however, that this responsibility has been shirked over the decades since the inception of military rule. Public health is neglected. Basic health is not adequately funded. The masses lack the option of medical tourism; so, they end up dying in large numbers because of inadequate facilities and wrong or late diagnosis.

    Infrastructure is the third area. Rural poverty is largely related to lack of infrastructural development. The Buhari administration has prioritized economic diversification with a focus on agriculture and mining. But many rural roads are in terrible shapes. And though the federal government is investing heavily on road infrastructure, APC states must also do their part.

    Of course, security and revenue are two preconditions for the success of any initiatives on the progressive agenda. Both are related and intertwined. Revenue cannot be generated in an atmosphere of insecurity. And adequate revenue is essential for the implementation of programmes.

    APC states must work extra hard to ensure that security of life and property is guaranteed. Governors must invest their security votes wholly and effectively on tested and proven security measures. They must strenuously seek foreign direct investment in agriculture and mining as the multiplier effect of such investments will generate revenue for the implementation of various progressive programs in education, health, and infrastructure.

    In the next four years, if APC states can focus attention and invest heavily on education, health and infrastructure, and the federal government takes its signature social investment programs to the next level, the nation would have taken some giant steps towards the reduction, if not elimination, of poverty across the land. That’s progress.

  • Enugu Airport runway rehabilitation yet to begin, says FAAN

    The rehabilitation of the runway at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, is yet to begin one month after the airport was closed by the Federal Government.

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, confirmed the development on Thursday in Lagos.

    FAAN had on August 24 announced the closure of the airport, which is the only international airport in the Southeast region, for the reconstruction of the runway.

    Yakubu said that the airport was closed due to safety concerns regarding its operations.

    Read Also: Unauthorized activities: FAAN seals off business outlets at Lagos Airport

    “Work is yet to begin on the runway, but it will soon, once the processes are concluded,” she said.

    Following the closure of the airport, international flights run by Ethiopian Airlines have been diverted to Port Harcourt International Airport in Rivers.

    Similarly, domestic flights were diverted to Sam Mbakwe Airport, Owerri, Port Harcourt Airport and the Asaba Airport in Delta.

    The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, had in a meeting with Southeast governors assured that the Enugu airport would be reconstructed to meet the standard of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja.

    Sirika also disclosed that the runway repairs and other renovation works would be completed by December.

  • U.S. to partner Wells Hosa farms on food security

    The United States  is to partner Wells Hosa Greenhouse Farms on food security to increase food production in the country, using Greenhouse technology.

    Wells Hosa Greenhouse Farms is owned by Cpt. Hosa Okunbo.

    U.S. Consular-General in Nigeria Claire Pierangelo, who spoke yesterday when she led a delegation to visit Wells Hosa Greenhouse Farms in Benin, Edo State capital described the place as unique, special and revolutionary.

    Pierangelo said Managing Director Bright Okunbo would be participating in next month’s Trade Development Agency in the U.S.

    She said it was possible to increase food production, using technology and education in Nigeria.

    Read Also: NNPC, MOMAN to partner on energy security

    “We are happy to come to Wells Hosa Greenhouse Farm today to see state of the art greenhouse operation. This is something unique, special and revolutionary in Nigeria. Next month, Wells Hosa will be participating in the US Trade Development Agency. He will visit four states in the U.S. to see the way we do business, to develop new partnership and offer new products.

    “We are excited about his vision, not just his company here, but his company across the country. It is possible to increase food production in Nigeria using technology and education by spreading it across the country to feed your industries.

    “This is a pure Nigerian investment and we are interested in it. We have the technology, we have the products, and we have the partnerships; we are hoping to work with them and other Nigerian investments.”

    Okunbo said they were the pioneers of greenhouse technology farming in the country. The farm began production in 2018.

    He said his visit to the U.S. would be to see how they could get the right technology and partners to improve on their work.

    Okunbo added: “We want to improve on what we have. To see how we can expand this green house spread all over the country. That is the goal; that is the mission we hope to achieve. This is because food security is very important. We have been able to use technology and agriculture to produce tomatoes and pepper here in Edo State.”