The Nation Newspaper

Tag: rescue

  • Food security: Integrated farming to the rescue

    Food security: Integrated farming to the rescue

    The University of Ibadan is running a model of integrated rice-fish–poultry–pig farm that will boost food production, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    At the rice-fish-poultry-piggery farm of the University of Ibadan, students master the act of growing rice and animal husbandry in the same place. It is an integrated farm. The fish eat weeds, bugs and molluscs that carry pests; their waste acts as fertiliser while they stir up sediments that release nutrients which help the rice grow.

    The model is unique, involving fish farming, poultry keeping, rice production and piggery.  The pond meets the needs of the fish as well as enables the rice to be grown on-site,  while complementing the rearing of poultry birds and pigs. There is a small  mill & mix plant housed in the feed store which produce feeds for the unit.  The university ensures that the pigs are fed with  meals to boost their iron sufficiency.

    Zinc oxide is added to the feed to reduce digestive upsets. The complex relies on natural ventilation for cooling. The finisher pens are not slatted, instead the floors are cemented with concrete, with manure swilled off twice daily into muck channels that run down both sides of the house.    A big  part of the business is the fish farm. The large fish pond is stocked with catfish. After harvesting, the catfish are smoked or sold fresh. The complementarity of the system is ensured with the use of rice grain and bran as feed for the poultry.

    On the project, Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Prof Bamidele Omitoyin, said the rice planted  in the fish  pond  benefits from nutrients, in fish excreta. In addition, he said the aquatic weeds of rice are reduced due to fish presence.  In turn, he said, the fish benefit from the favourable micro climate created by the rice plants. However, he said rice requires nutrients in the form of inorganic fertilisers, which the fish waste provides whereas fish needs nutrients in organic form. The essence of integrating them, he explained, is to allow the circulation of nutrients in various forms. He said poultry waste from the farm is recycled into the fish pond. The droppings of poultry birds, he added, are used to fertilise the pond.

    To achieve this, he said the chicken waste from the poultry unit, built near the pond, is washed down through the delivery channel as organic fertiliser for the growing of rice. This, he added, helps farmers to avoid spending money in buying chemical fertiliser.The ponds also receive pig dungs. This waste, he explained, acts as excellent pond fertiliser and raises the biological productivity of the pond and consequently increases fish production and boost rice growth. To help the process, the pigsties are constructed in such a way that the washings are drained to the pond through a delivery channel. Omitoyin said the project could be started on one acre of land. According to him, would-be fish farmers will be taught to integrate rice with fish, poultry or piggery to increase production of yields. This model would help farmers realise so much profit from their investment than running a simple fish farm.

    The integrated system, Omitoyin noted, provides benefits that each component by itself would not be able to achieve, creating more than the sum of its parts.

    He explained that under normal conditions the expected harvest is rice and fish.  With this system, he added that the farmer  is   not  provided with a single product, such as rice, but a range of integrated products including fish, poultry and pig. At present, the farm serves as a rice-based integrated farming system model that other farmers can replicate. The project occupies an expansive area.

    Farmers, students and researchers say it is a model integrated fish farm with rice grown inside a fish pond. It has been attracting local and international tourists, who come to see a demonstration farm where fish bred and integrated with some agricultural products such as rice, pigs and poultry to optimise yields.   He said rice-fish cultivation is a viable  business  and the university is determined  to promote the adoption of the system among  farmers to improve food security on small, subsistence family farms and encourage efficient and effective use of water.

    Because of the success of the project, the university has invited stakeholders and farmers to come and see the demonstration farm. The farm is used to train extension officers, farmers and students on aquaculture. Agriculture and fisheries students also go to the farm for school attachment.

    Omitoyin noted, however, that space, labour and capital must be integrated and properly utilised for optimum farm output. He stated that fisheries and aquaculture are a big source of income, adding that there are lots of business opportunities in fish farming.

    The project signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP-Nigeria) on fingerlings multiplication and dissemination of the integrated fish farming across 12 states in Nigeria.

  • Bristow Helicopter introduces rescue, recovery services

    Bristow Helicopters Nigeria Limited has announced a new dedicated helicopter Rescue and Recovery Service (RRS) for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

    According to the airline, the dedicated helicopter service is  to provide critical life-saving assistance currently not available in the country’s aviation landscape.

    The new service is to be  launched  in August 2016.

    Bristow’s new RRS service will  complement the company’s suite of industrial aviation offerings, including its fixed-wing service between Lagos and Port Harcourt launched last year.

    Interim Regional Director, Africa, Captain Akin Oni, said: “Bristow is a known leader in providing search and rescue services around the world and we have an unparalleled understanding of what is required for this new rescue and recovery service.

    “Bristow operates the civilian search and rescue helicopter service in the UK on behalf of HM Coastguard, having been awarded the ten-year United Kingdom Search and Rescue  contract by the Department for Transport in March 2013, and we will utilize our global expertise to provide safe and reliable service in Nigeria.

    “This new rescue and recovery service is a natural extension of our business transporting personnel offshore that we’ve provided in Nigeria for more than 50 years, and demonstrates our continued long-term commitment to the country.”

    Bristow Helicopters will deliver the new service from its base at Port Harcourt, which is strategically located to transport resources quickly and efficiently to oil installations in the area. The company will dedicate an advancedLeonardo AW139 helicopter to the operation, equipped with state-of-the-art technology for search and rescue missions, including forward looking infrared (FLIR) camera technology, dual hoist and mission management capabilities.

  • Retail outlets: Clearance sales to the rescue

    Retail outlets: Clearance sales to the rescue

    For retailers of fast moving consumer goods, innovation is key. Faced with the challenge of disposing old stocks and re-stocking when economic realities are taking their toll on businesses, most of them have resorted to clearance sales, a sure and innovative way of retaining the loyalty of ustomers. TONIA ‘DIYAN writes

    Mrs Modupe Shopeju, owner of Delightsome Gift Concept, a store in Gbagada, Lagos, believes that the best option to dispose of old items is to discount them. Such items, according to her, occupy space that have been paid for.

    As a store owner, Mrs Shopeju pays rent and other bills, including salaries of workers. Sometimes, she even takes loans from the bank to fund her business. Expectedly, the challenge of meeting expenses and making profit imposes considerable pressure on her, hence, her resort to clearance sale.

    In a chat with The Nation Shopping, Mrs Shopeju narrated an ugly experience of how she kept a particular flower vase for four years because she wanted to sell it twice its cost price, a decision that boomeranged, making her incur losses instead of profits.

    Her words: “I had a flower vase I bought in 2011 on my shelf. I bought it for N2, 000, and wanted to sell at N4, 000. I regret delaying selling that vase when I was supposed to sell it. I have come to realise that my money has been tied down since then, and that the space the item occupied for years would have been useful for other items. Now, that the economy is bad and my customers complain of lack of money, I am willing to sell it at N2, 000.” She added that her decision to eventually sell at the cost price of that item has not made it inferior in anyway.

    Chinedu Agwu, a retailer in Balogun Market, Lagos, also embraced clearance sale.  Agwu owns a store where he sells shoes and bags. In his store, a black Gucci handbag has been on the shelf for one year and two months, but he thinks putting it on discount is the only solution to getting a buyer for it. He travelled abroad to buy some of the items and paid huge sum of money to ship them into the country.

    Chinedu told The Nation Shopping that because his business is international, it needs huge capital and as such, he borrows money from the bank and for this reason, amongst others, he often places some of his items on discount, particularly now that the economy is not friendly, which is capable of bringing customers from all around the world. This is because people tend to fancy discounted items more, especially luxury goods, which on a normal day they wouldn’t afford.

    “In some cases, people will be waiting for such shop to open because luxury items are on discount. Also, if I want a new deal and a company offers me a new product at a particular discount too, but I do not have the cash to make payment, I can place some of my items on discount, so that the cash I get from it can be used to purchase new items,” he said.

    Indeed, experience has shown that as a retailer, if an item is kept longer than necessary in a shop, the money used to purchase such item will lose its value. The risk of selling it more than its cost price will also arise. Besides, the item would have become older, out of vogue or out of fashion. Mrs Shopeju and Chinedu said the determinants of discount in a harsh economy are weak sales and lack of human traffic to their shops, which has made them discount their items.

    For slow moving items, the merchants said when a retailer is in business, he knows the turnover of goods he gets; he knows how often he sells his items, and if he hasn’t made sales within two months, he wouldn’t have sold everything. Sometimes a retailer can introduce discount because he doesn’t have cash at hand but, if he stocks well over 50 million worth of goods, he can decide to put some things on discount and end up making close to 10 million to meet his immediate needs.

    Speaking on the benefits of placing items on discounts, retailers say that it is certain that the retailer gets back his money on time because what ordinarily he should sell for N2, 000, he will sell for 1,000 and make immediate profit even if it’s little, but getting ones money back is sure. The retailer will surely benefit in the form of customers’ loyalty, as customers will want to come back because of what they are getting.

    Some shoppers, who have benefited from discounts sales, said they got items at reduced rates, particularly luxury items, which ordinarily they wouldn’t have been able to afford.

    Femi Babalola said: “People are ordinarily attracted to cheap items whether the economy is good or bad, even the rich doesn’t want to spend too much when he goes shopping.”

    What this means, according to analysts, is that all parties stand to benefit from discount sales, including manufacturers, sellers, and buyers, and it should be encouraged. Though might not be easy for manufactures and sellers right now.

  • Residents to police chief: come to our rescue

    Some Lagos residents yesterday complained of what they called high armed robbery and cult killings rate.

    On a phone-in radio programme monitored by our reporter, callers from Ikotun, Maryland and Ikorodu claimed that they were at the mercy of the hoodlums.

    They lamented the police inability to arrest the situation despite Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s huge investment in security.

    They called on Police Commissioner Fatai Owoseni to ask his men to wake up.

    According to them, the 10-minute emergency response crime is not complied with by the officers.

    Some residents of Ikotun alleged that the armed robbers have taken over their streets.

    A caller, Segun Adesola, said the local vigilantes on the streets were nowhere to be found whenever the robbers struck.

    “We beg Governor Ambode to come to our aid by providing effective security for us in Ikotun. This is getting too much,” he said.

    Another caller said last Thursday around 9:30pm, armed robbers in a black Nissan Pathfinder Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) began robbing from Costain to Ikorodu Road, during a traffic standstill. Two persons were shot and many motorists robbed, he claimed.

    Corroborating the story, Taofeek Olohuniyo said passengers inside a BRT bus almost flew out of the vehicle for the fear of being attacked.

    Olohuniyo said: “I was in a BRT bus which I joined from Onipanu. As we were approaching Maryland underground tunnel, we met a standstill of vehicles while some individuals left their cars and started running for their lives.

    “Our driver had to stop immediately. We saw a black SUV few distance away with its lights on. On realising that it is a robbery, passengers started panicking and the atmosphere turned rowdy. Some beckoned on the driver to open the doors while some objected to it. Some were of the opinion that he should reverse but that is somehow difficult as the bus was filled to the brim.

    “The armed robbers fired and our driver was utterly confused on what to do after opening the doors and closing them back, he left his cubicle to join us as we waited amidst fear. After like 10 minutes, the SUV sped off, people rushed back to their cars while some went to sympathise with the robbery victims before our driver drove off.”

  • Rivers: Police rescue boy abducted by mother’s driver

    Rivers: Police rescue boy abducted by mother’s driver

    Men of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit (AKU), of the Rivers state Police command has rescued a four year old boy, Goodnews Tenalo, allegedly abducted by his mother’s driver, Jeremiah Igiri, in Port Harcourt, the state capital, last April.

    The Little boy was reportedly abducted by Igiri and two others including a young woman from his Worji residence, shortly after he returned from School Tuesday, April 19.

    He (victim), was subsequently taken to Eliozu axis, in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state where he was left in the care of the female accomplice, who little Goodnews later identified as Aunty Blessing. The victim reportedly detained by his abductors for 17 days.

    They were demanding N20 million ransom from the mother of the child, Mrs. Georgina Tenalo, a practicing Lawyer.

    Igiri admitted committing the crime and said he initiated and organized child’s kidnap, and then brought Blessing and another (a male), who came and took away the boy after he (Igiri), had led the child outside the gate.

    He expressed regrets at his actions, claiming that he does not know why he did that, especially when his Madam (employer), was good to him.

    The Police on Sunday May 8, 2016, also rescued in Port Harcourt, the state capital, 11 year old Chisom Okafor from Ndimoko community near Umunze round about in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra state.

    Chisom who was reportedly kidnapped by four suspected hoodlums between 9 and 10 am on his way to an errand for his father, Kingsley Okafor within his community (Ndimoko), same Sunday was rescued in Port Harcourt by Police officers on stop and search duty at Eliozu junction by 5: Pm. The hoodlums are suspected to be ritual killers.

    They however fled from the Police in their car after they Police forced them to drop the boy. The victim said he was blind folded with a handkerchief by his abductors immediately he was forcefully carried into the vehicle.

    The victim said, “My father sent me to go and call my younger brother around 9 and 10 o’clock, Sunday morning. I was on my way when the vehicle drove and suddenly stopped, three men came out of the car, quickly carried me into the car, i was shouting and calling for help but nobody came out before they quickly drove out.

    “Immediately they carried me into the vehicle the blindfolded me with their handkerchief and rolled up the car window glasses. There was an Air conditioner in the car,” the boy narrated.

    He gave the name of his father as Kingsley Okafor, a carpenter. The police is making efforts to locate the parents or any of the relatives so he could be reunited with his family members.

    Speaking to newsmen on the abduction of her little son, Mrs. Tenalo said she met and employed Igiri from a car hire company after testing his driving skill for four years (from 2012), and that he has worked with her as a permanent driver for just two months.

    She regretted the pains Igiri inflicted on her and family members and said that while the search for the boy was on, he (suspect), was also searching on with the rest members of the family and was taking her to everywhere including Churches and Police stations.

    She advised the government on the need to set up a bureau that would properly investigate domestic workers before they would be hired into peoples’ home, to avoid the continued repetition of the agony they (domestic staff), put families through.

    Also the Lawyer advised on the need for security agencies, especially the Nigerian Police to employ the services of trained Psychologists to help them in the interrogation and investigation of suspects for prompt and better results.

    Earlier, the command’s spokesman, Ahmad Muhammad Public relation officer (PRO), who is a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the child would have been recovered earlier, but for the fear of the mother that something might go wrong if the Police should move into the Eliozu axis after the number the kidnappers used in calling for ransom gave the signalled when tracked that the call came from Eliozu.

    Muhammad called on members of the public to always have confidence for safe rescue of their beloved ones when issues of kidnap occur.

    “We want to use this opportunity to appeal to the relatives of kidnap victims to always cooperate and trust in the ability of the Police to safely rescue their beloved ones like in this case.” He was referring to the case of little Goodnews.

    “The question of paying ransom is always discouraged by the force as we believe that safe rescue of kidnap victim is always possible.”

     

  • How to rescue Nigeria’s economy, by stakeholders

    How to rescue Nigeria’s economy, by stakeholders

    Overdependence on crude oil for revenue has stunted Nigeria’s development. A holistic and sustainable economic diversification strategy has become imperative in view of dwindling fortunes triggered by crashing oil prices at the international market. This was the position canvassed by participants at The Nation’s National Economic Forum in Lagos. They also came up with robust, far-reaching recommendations, which can put the economy back on track. SIMEON EBULU, CHIKODI OKEREOCHA, EMEKA UGWUANYI, TOAFIK SALAKO, OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE, LUCAS AJANAKU, DEJI ADEMIGBUJI and COLLINS NWEZE report.

    Nigeria looks good to weather the economic storm triggered by the sustained sliding oil prices. For the first time, a refreshing mindset and political leadership with positive thinking and pragmatic actions has taken charge. Those at the helms of affairs have finally woken up to the reality that the party is over. To them, the days of crude oil as a money-spinner for the economy are over.

    For the first time last week, the long-standing argument and advocacy of critical assessors of the economy that Nigeria’s overwhelming dependence on crude oil for its revenue to the neglect of other sectors is fraught with dangers hit the right chord in the ears of the political leadership. The political leadership appears to have seen the need for a holistic and sustainable economic diversification strategy.  The consensus was to take the bull by the horns. It was at the National Economic Forum, organised in Lagos by The Nation. It was the newspaper’s first, organised in collaboration with CEEDEE Resources. It has “National Economy: The Way Forward” as its theme.”

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo personified this changing mindset when at the opening of the two-day talk shop at Oranmiyan, Hall, Lagos Airport Hotel, when he said: “It is pathetic that a nation with over 170 million people benchmarked its budget on the price of oil. We must look beyond oil because it disturbs us from looking at other sectors. In order to move the country forward, we must reduce the Federal Government’s and states’ dependence on sharing revenue made from oil sales.”

    The forum, according to the Chairman, Board of Directors of Vintage Press Ltd, publishers of The Nation, Mr. Wale Edun, was an initiative and platform to assist in structural repositioning of the economy.  The event, which drew top government officials, politicians, media chiefs, members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) and Nigerians from all works of life, lived up its billing of providing a platform for experts and stakeholders to jaw-jaw and chart a way forward for a bruised economy. No thanks to the tumbling oil prices at the international market.

    For once, the two-day intellectual engagement was adjudged by participants as the first time the economic policy direction of President Muhammadu Buhari administration would be dissected with clear, measurable action plans on how to turn the economy around.

    Osinbajo set the tone for a thought-provoking session in his remark when he pointing out that the foundation for a strong economy demands appropriate fiscal policies that will help the country that is arising from a very low rate of Value Added Tax (VAT) and a low taxpayer’s base.

    “We are focusing on increasing the country’s taxpayers’ base. We are committed to expanding the tax net,” he told his audience.

    The vice president, a professor of law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), raised the hope of Nigerians when he said the government was aware of the overwhelming challenges confronting them and that the President Buhari-led administration remained committed to addressing them.  The ongoing reforms in the various sectors, he said, would soon reverse the economic fortune and return the country to the path of progress.

    It was not an empty promise. Osinbajo stressed. For instance, he informed that 30 per cent of the this year’s budget has been set aside for capital expenditure, while non-oil sources, comprising company income tax, VAT and others, are expected to contribute N1.5 trillion. All these put together, would make the earnings from oil insignificant.  “This is unprecedented in the history of the country,” he said.

    His message of hope did not stop there. He also said that in line with Federal Government’s ongoing reforms, it will not reverse the privatisation in the power sector because past experience has proven the government as not being good managers of businesses. This gladdened the hearts of not a few Nigerians considering the fact that it was a break from the past when policy reversals was the norm.

    The clarification was necessary in view of calls by some electricity consumers, including organised labour for a review of the privatisation exercise and the suspension of the tariff introduced in February. According to them, privatisation has not translated to improved electricity supply across the country. But, the vice president said the government will sustain the privatisation of the sector while pushing for the provision of gas to power the existing power generating plants.

    Aside being wary of the possible backlash of reversing the privatisation, Osinbajo listed the moribund Nigerians Telecommunication (NITEL) and the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL) as examples of while government should not be directly involved in running businesses.

    Pointing out that Nigeria has in excess of 12, 000 Megawatts of installed generating capacity, he described as unacceptable the inability to distribute above 5, 000 Megawatts because of weak transmission infrastructure.

    “Even if we transmit the 5, 000 Megawatts currently generated, over half of it will be lost because of inadequate infrastructure,” Osinbajo said, noting that more investment is required to provide the transmission infrastructure to transport the excess to the end users.

     

    More push for diversification

     To Osinbajo, diversification is inevitable. “We now have to move beyond the neglect of other key sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, solid minerals and high value services…..These sectors have the potential to create jobs, boost domestic demand and just as important, generate significant foreign exchange earnings, which is why the Federal Government has put diversification of the economy on its agenda this year.”

    Governors and other participants at agreed with Osinbajo’s position.  Oyo State Governor  Abiola Ajimobi highlighted the importance of diversification along the lines of states’ natural resources. “There is no advantage whatsoever in monoculture and mono-economy,” he said, underlining the importance of diversification.

    Represented by his deputy, Chief Moses Adeyemo,  the governor emphasised the need to diversify from crude oil and refocus on the array of resources, especially agriculture. He pointed out that the Cocoa House in Ibadan, the first high-rise building in Nigeria built 50 years ago, and the Airport Hotel,  built 40 years ago, were built with proceeds from  cocoa by the defunct Western region.

    He expressed his administration’s willingness to explore opportunities in inter-state relationship, noting that the state will be willing to partner with Lagos in the area of agriculture.

    Oyo State, The Nation learnt, has a landmass of 32,000 hectares for farming. This means that Lagos State, with its enormous capital and appetite for agricultural investments, can partner with the Pacesetter State to explore the agricultural potential of the state and create wealth and jobs across the states. “We will like to sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Lagos State in the area of agriculture, Adeyemo said.

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun said Nigeria should move beyond agricultural produce to processing the produce. He described the crashing oil prices as a blessing in disguise, as it has offered an opportunity for the nation to reassess its consumption pattern and taste in favour of local production and consumption.

    Amosun, who was represented by his Commissioner for Industry, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru, said Nigeria should develop the agric value chain to take maximum advantage of its agricultural resources. He said the time has come for the country  to look inward by supporting local production by advocating for and consuming locally made products as a matter of patriotic duty.

     

    Call for power devolution takes centre stage

    Because Nigeria is going through a difficult time, Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha insists that diversification has not only become desirable, but also inevitable. He argued that the central wields a lot of power and control on the economy, which impedes speedy economic development.

    He said the federal should devolve more powers and responsibilities to other tiers of government, noting that nations going through similar serious economic challenges seek wisest course of action and not sentiments.

    Okorocha said: “Nigeria’s problem is not the fall in oil prices. The fact is that if you do a thing the same way, you achieve the same result. We must do things differently if we want to move the economy forward and meet the expectations of the populace.”

    He insisted the federal has overburdened itself with a lot of powers and responsibilities, including those that are most appropriately undertaken by state and local governments, he said the local government, which is the closest to the grassroots, has the least powers and funding.

    Besides, he pointed out that state government, which is closer to the people depend on handouts from the Federation Account. Okorocha described as abnormal an arrangement that has reduced governors to mere executive cashiers who wait for monthly allocations to carry out their responsibilities.

    “How long shall we (state governments) depend on the Federal Government for survival?” governor Okorocha asked, calling on the Federal Government to devolve power.

    “Nigeria has practised top to bottom (federal to local government) process of governance for so long and has continued to achieve unfavourable result. It is time to practise bottom to top (local government to federal) system of governance where the bulk of funds goes to the local government and the least to the federal,” he added.

    He noted that apart from Lagos, other states run on allocations from Abuja, most of which go to payment of salaries.  The governor wondered why the Federal Ministry of Agriculture gets fat budgetary allocation despite not having land to farm.

     

    Education as game changer

    Okorocha also pushed for the overhaul of the nation’s educational system, which, according to him, does not encourage economic development.

    “We still practice neo-colonialism,” he said, asking, “Why should it be mandatory to have credit pass in English and Mathematics before gaining admission into a higher institution, especially the university?”

    Insisting on the need to tailor education to specialties, the governor said: “There is need for special schools to develop expertise. In Imo State, we have where we train people on painting, plastering, and building among others, so that wherever they go in any part of the world, they will have the competence to compete with others.”

    Bornu State Governor Kashim Shetima also agrees that education holds the key to turning around the fortunes of the economy. While calling for more investment in education, he said the sector is vital because the few that are rich cannot be protected by the many that are poor.

    Shetima, who spoke on the second day of the forum, said with the destruction done to the state by Boko Haram insurgency, which is estimated at $6 billion, his government is committed to rebuilding fallen schools and other social amenities.

    Shetima said more investment in education will result in increased school enrolment, which in turn would prevent youths from being tools in the hands of insurgents.

     

    Inter-state relations, regional competitiveness

    To Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Nigeria must begin to explore and expand the opportunities that abound in inter-state relations and strengthen regional competitiveness by maximising economics of scale, regional optimisation of assets and endowments.

    Ambode said: “States and regions must, once again, begin to leverage on their respective areas of comparative advantage by establishing partnerships towards establishing inter-state or inter-regional commodity value chain. We must re-start inter-state/regional cooperation.”

    The governor lamented that past Federal Governments failed to take advantage of the oil boom to grow other sectors of the economy, adding that the fall in oil prices, coupled with many years of corruption, made the economy vulnerable.

    He said: “It is very unfortunate that we wasted the golden opportunity to deploy the trillions of dollars earned from our oil exports to develop the critical sectors of the economy, including power, agriculture, industries, solid minerals, transportation infrastructure, among others.

    “No doubt, if we had done the right thing as some other oil producing countries did, keeping in mind that crude oil is a finite resource, we would not be experiencing the devastating effect of oil price crash on the scale we are experiencing it now. We are now being forced to do, with pains, what we should have done with ease years ago.

    “The task of charting a new direction for the economy is not going to be a tea party. Various policy options must be identified and assessed on the basis of our current situation and needs.  Moving our economy forward requires thinking outside the box and doing things differently. We need creativity, innovation and the courage to take difficult and tough decisions.”

    He urged the leadership at national and state levels to muster the political will to take tough decisions and make immediate sacrifices, which will, on the long run, strengthen the economy and make it sustainable.

     

    Engaging global investment community

    Beyond strengthening inter-state relations and regional competitiion, the Italian Consular-General in Nigeria, Mr. Andrea Pompermaier urged Nigerians to make more concerted effort at engaging the international investment community to showcase Nigeria’s latent potential and resources.

    Pompermaier noted that the country has so many resources that could attract global investments but the country’s international profile has been largely dominated by its crude oil and sleaze.

    According to him, the time has come for Nigeria to market its abounding opportunities to the global investment community for a broader view of the country, its resources and people.

    The envoy said his personal experience has shown that some of the international opinions about Nigeria were misplaced, as there is much more to the country than oil.

    He assured that his consulate would work to further strengthen the bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Italy by bringing Nigerian and Italian businessmen together.

     

    Entrepreneurship as magic wand 

    With about 37 million Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises, (MSMEs) captured in the data base of the  Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Bank of Industry’s (BoI’s), Acting Managing Director , Mr. Waheed Olagunju, said the MSME sector is the tonic to rejig the economy.

    Olagunju, represented by the General Manager, BoI, Mr. Joseph Babatunde, said if the MSMEs are encouraged, more jobs will be created. According to him, if each of the 37 million MSMEs employs one person, its multiplier effect would be tremendous and the economy the better for it.

    The BoI chief, who spoke on the second day of the forum, however, said the bank has been collaborating with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to develop a credit bureau and collateral registry to ease MSMEs’ access to funds.

    He also informed that the bank has a plan to establish industrial parks in strategic locations across the country.

     

    Manufacturing, solid minerals, taxation to the rescue

    Other areas identified as holding keys to economic recovery are manufactring and solid minerals. The Director-General, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Remi Ogunmefun, described the manufacturing sector, especially agro-allied manufacturing as the economy’s live wire.

    According to him, this is because of the sector’s capacity to add value to local crops, like cashew and tomato, by processing them into finished products for the local market, as well as the export market to earn foreign exchange.

    On his part, the Former Nigerian High Commissioner to Australia, Ambassador Ayo Olukanni, said mining and solid minerals should be growth areas in the diversification agenda. He urged the government to take a cue from Australia, which rakes in millions of dollars yearly from its mining industry.

    Also suggesting a way out, the Founding President of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), Mr. Omooba Olumuyiwa Sosanya, there is no better time to maximize taxation through decentralisation of VAT administration than now.

    To him, Nigeria has not really realised its tax potentials. “There is therefore, need to widen the tax net, and not necessarily increase in taxation,” he said.

    Quality, far-reaching recommendations no doubt! The question is: Will the authorities demonstrate the political will to implement them? That is the questing agitating the minds of stakeholders. However, going by Osinbajo’s assurances, a new dawn may be in the offing for the economy.

  • Rail to the rescue

    •Completion of the standard-gauge Abuja-Kaduna rail track is the direction to go

    Great news — Nigeria’s first-ever high speed train service, coasting at between 120Km and 150 Km an hour, opens in March! It is the 186.5km double-track, standard gauge, between Abuja and Kaduna, just completed by the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), at the cost of US $849 million. When the service starts, commuters can travel from Abuja to Kaduna (and vice-versa) in between 45 minutes and one hour.

    “Next month, we’ll be taking delivery of modern coaches to run on the standard gauge line, specifically for the Abuja-Kaduna line, so that that service can commence immediately,” enthused Adeseyi Sijuwade, managing director, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), while addressing the media in Lagos. “We are looking at February/March for the service to commence.”

    The project should have been delivered by December 2014. On December 7, 2013, James Lee of CCECC  had, at the Jere section of the rail line, told a delegation of the National Good Governance Tour, that the project was 70 per cent completed; and should be delivered by December 2014.

    Still, Nigeria’s first modern rail tracks are a thing of cheer, even if March 2016 is 15 months behind schedule. Besides, this legacy somewhat spruces the beleaguered Goodluck Jonathan presidency, now mired by unedifying matters. The Jonathan administration did well to keep faith with a project that has now spanned four administrations: Obasanjo, that awarded it, the unsettled Umaru Yar’Adua,  Jonathan and now, Buhari, to inaugurate it.

    But lest we forget: the Abuja-Kaduna line was part of the originally conceived rail modernisation project, to run from Lagos to Kano, which Obasanjo awarded at the dusk of his presidency.  A Lagos-Calabar line was also mooted.

    But Barau Gafar, in 2013, the federal director of railways, said the Lagos-Kano project was later split into six segments: Lagos to Ibadan, Ibadan to Ilorin, Ilorin to Minna, Minna to Abuja and Abuja to Kaduna. He also disclosed that the government decided to kick off the projects in two phases: Abuja to Kaduna and Lagos to Ibadan. The Abuja to Kaduna phase was started in 2010. So far, however, there is no evidence that the Lagos-Ibadan phase has taken off.  Mum too, appears the situation on the Lagos-Calabar line.

    This is, of course, the big challenge for the Buhari government. If the local economy is to be deepened, and the constant guillotine of the Naira on the stake of parity with the US Dollar halted, modern rails hold the key. The rail is central to transportation, which is central to growing the Nigerian real economy, now that the administration is committing itself to a gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 4.2 per cent, if it faithfully implements the 2016 budget.

    It may not be the best of times, resource-wise, with the plummet in the price of crude, below the US $38 budget benchmark. Still, it is strategic that the other five segments of the Lagos-Kano rail be paid attention to as soon as possible.

    Buhari should take fulsome lesson from the Jonathan odyssey. If that administration had committed itself more to, and delivered more on, modernised rail, it would not only have had something tangible to claim, when it desperately needed electoral endorsement. But beyond elections, that would deepen and strengthen the Nigerian economy. The Jonathan tragedy was that, with crude selling at some US $100, it had the putative cash. But the Buhari challenge is that, even with a near-empty till, he must find the cash!

    Aside from modernisation (which is key), the Federal Government must reclaim the rail paths, blocked after so many years of undisciplined growth. The rail was originally designed to ferry goods from the Apapa ports and quays to the hinterland, so as to free the roads from perilous dead weights, made for rail. But over the years, many of those rail tracks, even inside the Lagos ports, would appear to have been blocked.

    It is time, therefore, to recover these tracks; and give the Nigerian economy the kiss of life it craves. Besides, the near-daily spilling of blood on roads, resulting from falling trailers, petrol tankers and other articulated vehicles should not continue. An active and efficient rail system also holds the solution to this national malaise.

  • Apapa gridlock: Senate to the rescue

    Apapa gridlock: Senate to the rescue

    The Senate Committee on Marine Transport visited the Lagos Port Complex and the Tin-Can Island Ports to assess the impact of the gridlock that has done much damage to business on the access roads. At a meeting with the committee by government agencies and stakeholders, how to tackle the gridlock was discussed, reports Maritime Correspondent OLUWAKEMI DAUDA.

    THE Senate Committee on Maritime Transport has visited the Lagos Port Complex and the Tin Can Island Ports to assess the impact of the gridlock that has for long crippled the roads leading to the facilities. Led by its Chairman, Senator Ahmed Sanni Yerima, the committee had a feel of the gridlock as its convoy was trapped in the traffic.

    The c  ommittee members which were Senators Kabiru Gaya; Ighoyota Amori; Isiaka Adeleke; Theodore Orji; Clifford Ordia and others, were forced to drive against the traffic from Liverpool end of the road to the port.

    After passing through the second entrance of the Tin Can Ports, their vehicle got stuck in between the container-laden trailers. At this point the lawmakers alighted from their vehicle to assess the failed portion of the road

    After the assessment, the vehicles could not move forward or make a u-turn, but had to reverse under a very dangerous condition.

    Seeing the problem they were faced with, one of the lawmakers lamented: “This is a disgrace to our country. I didn’t know that the situation in Apapa is as bad as this. There is an urgent need for us to address this problem because this is where the government makes a lot of money.”

    The Committee Chairman could not agree less. Describing the situation as “a serious national disaster” which must be tackled, Senator Yetima said the gridlock had severe consequences not only on the road users and the state, but also on the national economy.

     

    Govt agencies make

    presentations

     

    At a stakeholders’meeting with the lawmakers, the Managing Director, Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Malam Habib Abdullahi called for the revival of the rail system, noting that efficient rail lines connecting the ports with other states would decongest the ports and reduce the pressure on the Lagos roads.

    The NPA boss urged the Committee to look not just at the ports, but at other issues that contributed to the menace. Abdullahi said there was the need to import petroleum products through ports outside Lagos.

    On his part, the Acting Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Pastor Haruna Baba Jauro, lamented the effect of the gridlock on the economy. He complained that staff productivity had also been affected, as many are emotionally and physically drained and harassed by armed robbers on their way to and from work.

    The NIMASA boss bemoaned a situation where staff of the agency are forced to sleep in the hotels at Apapa because of the gridlock.

    The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Mr. Hassan Bello, corroborated NPA’s position and lent his voice to a trucking policy that would set standards and regulations.

    According o him, between 5,000 and 7,000 trucks ply the Apapa corridor daily, when the roads could only support  between 2,000 and 3,000 trucks. The remaining numbers, he said, constitute nuisance by causing the gridlock in the area.

    The NSC boss called for the immediate repair of all the failed sections of the road, registration of trucks coming to Apapa under a company name, install electronic gate system and call-up cards and institute a sound legal framework.

     

    Loading bay

     

    Another way out of the Apapa gridlock, according to Bello, is the construction of loading bay or parking lots for trucks coming into the ports to pick consignments or drop empty containers.

    It is on record that most of the trucks parked along the port access roads such as Wharf, Commercial and Creek Roads are laden with empty containers. Many of the drivers of such trucks use the roads leading to the port for parking their vehicles, thereby reducing the space meant for other road users.

     

    Agents urge Buhari to

    address gridlock

     

    Speaking with The Nation after the stakeholders’meeting with the lawmakers, the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) urged President Muhammadu Buhari to address the gridlock on the major roads leading to Apapa Ports in Lagos.

    Its National President, Alhaji Olayiwola Shittu, said vehicular congestion, which is at the root of the gridlock, has added to the cost of clearing goods from the port, besides driving away businesses in the area.

    He pointed out that importers were diverting their cargoes to neighbouring countries because of the gridlock, while new investors are being discouraged from coming to the area. Residents, it was said, are also looking for homes outside the area.

    Shittu said Apapa is not only reputed for maritime activities, manufacturers have also taken advantage of the ports to site companies in the suburbs for quick access to imported raw materials and for easy export.

     

    Stakeholders record N5b

    loss daily

     

    The gridlock takes toll on the Federal Government and relevant stakeholders with daily revenue loss estimated at N5 billion. The gridlock hampers free movement of goods and persons, with tanker drivers converting major access roads into Apapa ports to parking lots.

    Consequently, containers, which ought to have been cleared and evacuated from the ports still litter various terminals, accumulating demurrage. Vessels are also stranded on the high seas as there is no room at the terminals to discharge cargoes.

    ANLCA spokesman, Dr. Kayode Farinto, while speaking with The Nation on the poor state of the ports said agents have given the Federal Government a 30-day ultimatum to address the situation or risk the ports being shut down in protest. According to him, the N5 billion daily loss is only a conservative estimate, pointing out that a lot of businesses located in Apapa have folded up since workers can no longer access their working places.

     

    Solutions

     

    The Chairman, Seaport Terminal Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Victoria Haastrup, said the gridlock being experienced in Apapa is a direct consequence of system failure in the oil and gas industry logistics chain.

    Haastrup, who is also the Executive Vice Chairman of ENL Consortium Limited, operators of Terminals C and D, Lagos Port Complex Apapa, said the only way to solve the gridlock is to immediately suspend the lifting of imported petroleum products from tank farms in Apapa by road.

    “There must be immediate suspension of the evacuation of petroleum products from Apapa by road. The authorities must immediately activate the use of barges for petroleum products evacuation. Petroleum products meant for the northern part of the country should be moved to Lokoja and Baro Ports by barges while the trucks collect them from there rather than coming to Apapa,” she said.

     

    Indiscipline

     

    For Senator Ordia, another way to tackle the gridlock is to address the indiscipline of motorists on the roads, especially drivers of old vehicles. He said because of the indiscipline and unruly behaviour of the drivers, all lanes on both sides of the roads are occupied. “They are the kings of the roads. They do not bother about any other road user,” he said.

    The Senator also observed that drivers use these roads as makeshift toilet facilities. They also drive against the traffic and cross the demarcation and embankment separating the two lanes of the roads at will. Apart from being an eyesore, he said the sorry situation gives the country a negative image.

    Senator Yerima added: “We have noticed the challenge and we believe that this is not only affecting the operations of the port and residents in Lagos, but the entire economy.

    “We hope that at the end of this interaction we are going to come up with a permanent solution…we will look at the short term, the medium term and at the end of the day, our objective is to achieve a permanent solution.”

    He promised that whatever the Committee is able to take along to the Senate, it has resolved to pursue to a logical conclusion. He also assured that in a bid to provide a lasting solution to the gridlock, the government would mobilise contractors building the 500-truck capacity holding bay opposite the Tin Can port so that work can resume immediately.

  • Solar Energy to the rescue

    Solar Energy to the rescue

    Although, the sun has been in existence since man- or even before him, if we’re to follow the Bible and the Qur’an; it wasn’t until recently that scientists began inventing devices that can be powered by solar (Sun) energy. Medinat Kanabe, in this report, looks at the solar energy and how Nigerians can benefit from it.

    As the world continues to evolve, scientists have continued to come up with alternative and easier ways of doing things, one of which is inventing devices that can be powered by solar.

    Nigeria is a country beleaguered by very poor power supply, which has culminated in the people spending so much on alternative energy sources such as petrol, diesel and kerosene.  With the recent scientific developments, many Nigerian homes, organisations and individuals are fast embracing the solar options.

    Fortunately, the common man is not left out in this development, as solar energy-powered equipment now come even in small lanterns, lamps and torch-lights, that can be carried around in replacements of the traditional fire lanterns and candles. Recall that fire lanterns and candles have contributed to disastrous fire incidents, claiming lives and property. With solar-powered home items, that problem appears totally eradicated.

    Solar-powered items also come as mini-chargers for phone devices, and very affordable too. Many of them have the capacity to provide up to 60 hours of lighting, while also charging your phones. And as for the environmentalists, it is green-house energy compliant.

    Prices for solar energy equipment ranges from as little as N1, 500 to millions of Naira, depending on what you’re subscribing to. This also depends on whether the user wishes to compliment it with the electricity provided by power stations or solely run the home or organisation on it.

    The Enterprise Development Centre EDC of Pan Atlantic University, PAU, Ajah, Lagos campus, is a good example of a centre that runs solely on solar energy. Describing the building as a true example of environmental sustainable building in Nigeria and West Africa, the Director, EDC, Peter Bankole told The Nation that they invested heavily on alternate energy to power the building.

    “The 2, 000 square meters EDC building, with three floors is significant in many ways. The first is that this building is a green building; as you walk into the main foyer of the building, there is an instant sense of light. We harvest at least 12 hours of natural light everyday; from the design stage, we wanted to save at least 40 per cent of energy usage when compared with similar buildings in Nigeria and across the continent; so we invested heavily in alternate energy.

    “Embedded in the roof is 96 double length solar panel that produce enough energy to power all the streets and perimeter lighting, all the access control, CCTV, internet, IP phones, the lighting in the main foyer, the general office and 50 per cent of the air conditioning in the general office.

    “Every floor is equipped with an online inverter system that carries other sensitive training equipment, from 5pm to 8pm everyday. On weekends and indeed at off peak periods, we run only on clean energy,” he said.

    Matthew Oshomogho is a family man who lives in his solar-powered house with his wife and four children. He told The Nation that he stopped buying touch lights, fire lanterns and candles since he discovered solar energy.

    “My sister, I built this house with all the money I had at the time and I have not recovered from it. I don’t want a situation where one day due to carelessness, my house will be burnt down. If I try to be very careful, what about my wife and children?

    “When I first stopped candles and fire lanterns, I began to buy battery touch lights but they don’t last. So I discovered the rechargeable touch lights; but when we don’t have steady power supply, how do I charge them? Solar energy don’t need electricity to work; all I do is make sure the panel is outside during the day and by night I can use them in the house. Rain cannot spoil the panels, so I am not scared when it rains and there’s nobody at home to bring the panels in.”

    Oshomogho is therefore of the opinion that very soon, Nigerians will be able to do without electricity, as there are solar energy panels that can power a complete building. He actually hopes to purchase one as soon as he can afford it, he revealed.

    Oshomogho is not left alone in his conviction; stakeholders in the power sector recently called on Nigeria and other African countries to look inwards in order to overcome barriers confronting implementation of renewable energy across the continent.

    The stakeholders who met at the 2015 Power-Gen Africa Conference held in Cape Town, South Africa agreed that Africa, especially the Sub-Saharan region, needs reliable and constant energy to develop.

    Presenting his paper titled: “Overcoming barriers to solar and wind renewable energy development in Sub-Saharan Africa: A new perspective,” at the POWER-Gen Africa 2015 conference held in Cape Town, Republic of South Africa in July, Dr. Maurice Ngwaba of University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, United States, explained that other nations are developing reliable, sustainable and cost-effective energy sources because renewable improves business processes, reduces operational costs and green house emissions.

    “Renewable energy development provides employment and improves quality of life. In the next 15 years, Africa will need $300 billion to have access to electricity. But the challenges that have been identified as constraints to adequate power supply in Africa include lack of infrastructure, present condition of existing infrastructure capacity and transmission limitations. All these make solar and other renewable energy development attractive,” he said.

    Ngwaba further posited that Africa remains a great opportunity area with young and growing population, especially growing middle class. He quoted U.S Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets, Arun Kumar, as saying, “the time is now to invest in Africa.”

    On how to break the barriers against full utilisation of renewable’s potential in Africa, he advised African leaders to adhere to key values and orientations through trust, respect, accountability, responsibility, courage, transparency, collaboration and understanding the true state of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) culture.

    “There is also the need to develop renewable energy policy that is integrated, clear and consistent with the economy, social and environment. Communication and dissemination of renewable energy policy to the citizens and to invest in renewable energy research and development,” he said.

    He said the governments of African nations must, as a matter of urgency, provide regulatory standards, environment that supports investment, develop innovative and implement renewable energy project finance mechanism through tradable renewable energy certificates, bonds, credit assistance, cloud financing and solar leasing.

    Specifically, Dr Ngwaba urged the Federal Government and Nigerians as a whole to explore a lot of potential and alternatives, which will enhance solar and renewable development.

    “Solar leasing is just one of the various aspects where the Nigerian government and other investors can make it affordable to people who have the credit, the capacity to have solar system installed in their houses, and by so doing they can be paying the investors or the government that installed them the actual electricity produced in those areas. By so doing, they will be able to expand the number of people that have access to electricity.

    “Privatisation of the power sector makes it possible for people to decide whether to stay on the grid or not. Knowing who Nigerians are, they would prefer to have their own system and control their units. By so doing, they are not affected by price increases that may come from the Distribution Companies (DISCOS).

    “For instance, at Maryland University, in 2010, I installed the first 2.2MW system at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore of the United States where I got very good rate (9cents per kilowatt/hour) and was commissioned in 2011. Now, I’m developing a new firm called Green Power Developers Ltd that will focus on helping people especially Nigerians to develop solar renewable energy.

    “The Federal Government has to create an enabling environment that includes incentive, tax credit. It can also support states to actually come up with bonds that can be used to create such infrastructures. You can sell municipal-backed bonds to create such infrastructure and it will go a long way to help develop the power sector,” he said.

    For governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, solar is the key to power access in Nigeria.

    The governor who spoke when he accompanied the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to a solar power agreement signed between Nigeria and the United Kingdom in London, said the application of solar technology in the provision of electricity in Nigeria would democratise power access to the rural poor.

    El-Rufaí said the agreement was an opportunity for the country to acquire the latest technology in the sector.

    “This is a great opportunity for Nigeria to leapfrog from where we are, to the latest state-of-the-art technology to provide electricity to the poor.

    “Many people think that the only way to get electricity to everyone is through building huge power stations with transmission lines and distribution infrastructure. But in the last three to four years, there has been advancement in solar technology that has made it possible to democratise electricity in a way that you would have your own power plant in your own home to serve your needs instead of connecting to a centralised network.

    “I think it is a great step; just as we leapfrogged from having half a million land lines to 150 million mobile phones. There is an opportunity here to leapfrog from having centralised power stations and transmission lines to 60 million Nigerians having electricity that they generate from solar energy in their own homes and paying for it on a pay-as-you-go basis.

    “It is a great initiative and if we are able to follow it through, we will be able to take electricity to the poorest parts of Nigeria without having to do huge investments that we have sank in NEPA and PHCN without results,” he added.

    To underline his conviction, the governor revealed that his state, Kadun,a is already funding the use of solar power in 40 primary healthcare centres.

    “What we want to do when we go back to Kaduna state is to send a team to Tanzania and Kenya to see where this model has worked and immediately begin to deploy it because it is low cost, it can be done very quickly, you don’t need to spend three years building a power station.

  • Agric to the rescue

    President Muhammadu Buhari has not only insistently expressed his administration’s determination to diversify the economy but also stated how eager the government is to find other sources of foreign exchange earners.

    To achieve this, the two major sectors he is targeting are agriculture and solid minerals.

    The government last Tuesday took concrete steps in the agriculture sector towards food security for the country, employment creation and boosting foreign exchange.

    It began the disbursement of N220 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund (MSMEDF) to farmers at a single digit interest rate of 9.0 per cent.

    To reduce Nigeria’s huge import bill and conserve foreign exchange reserves, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in the past months have held various engagements with stakeholders in rice, wheat, oil palm, cotton, sugar and fish value chain towards providing financing through intervention schemes.

    The CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, who declared on assumption in office on the 5th of June, 2014, to make the CBN a financial catalyst in some sectors like agriculture, has expressed his commitment to transform the agricultural sector through Produce Add Value and Export (PAVE) initiative.

    Speaking in Kebbi State last Tuesday during the launching of N40 billion CBN Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) for rice farmers out of the N220 billion MSMEDF, Emefiele said that the programme will link over 600,000 smallholder farmers and reputable large-scale processors.

    According to him, beneficiaries under ABP will get loans ranging from N150,000 to N250,000.

    Under the Programme, anchor firms will serve as off-takers in recognition of their track record and experience in working with out-growers involved in production.

    The scheme involves a finance model where the anchor firms, CBN, Nigeria Incentives-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) and state governments organize the out-growers.

    The state governments are also expected to ensure that the out-growers comply with contractual terms and reduce the incidences of side-selling.

    The financial institutions, under the scheme, will serve as veritable channels for delivering credit to the out-growers.

    Training of farmers, extension workers and banks under the scheme are expected to bundle Farm Business School (FBS), Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Cooperative Management in a coherent and seamless manner.

    To ensure success of the scheme, various strategies have been put in place to mitigate possible risks that may come up.

    There is comprehensive farmer education and technical assistance in place to check poor farming technique and low crop yield.

    The Federal Ministry of Agriculture has also put in place guaranteed minimum price for the farmers in the case of price variation.

    Agricultural insurance has also been made mandatory to mitigate any risk as a result of loss of crops due to floods, drought or other natural disasters.

    The Project Management Team is also saddled with the responsibility of selecting recognized agro dealers in order to prevent poor quality or fake inputs that could lead to low yields.

    Millers will also be banned from future CBN funding as a deterrent for any miller that plans to default by reneging on Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) agreement.

    To overcome the challenges of infrastructure under the scheme, Government is to provide infrastructural facilities like Fadama feeder roads, irrigation facilities and others.

    The linkage of farmers and processors, Emefiele said, will increase agricultural output and significantly improve capacity utilisation of integrated mills.

    As part of the problems facing the nation, he said: “Nigeria’s agricultural commodities and food import bill has averaged over N1 trillion in the past two years. Food products like wheat, sugar, milk, rice, and fish accounted for N901 billion or 93.5% and N788 billion or 88.71% of this total in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

    “These figures are exclusive of the activities of smugglers. The import bill of rice and wheat was estimated at N428 billion and N307 billion in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

    “These huge amounts were expended on items that the country has the potential to produce locally with the attendant loss of employment generation and wealth creation opportunities.

    “Furthermore, the allocation of foreign exchange to the importation of these items has continually depleted our foreign reserve, which has been on steady decline in recent times.” He noted

    To further discourage importation and boost domestic production, the CBN is said to have implemented several policies to complement the fiscal initiatives of the Federal Government towards conserving foreign reserves.

    In this direction, the CBN classified 41 items including some agriculture based commodities as ‘Not valid for forex’ in June, 2015.

    The implication of the policies was that CBN prevented importers of the items from accessing the official foreign exchange window.

    At the launch of ABP in Kebbi State, President Buhari was visibly glad last Tuesday that the programme was commencing in line with the diversification drive of his administration.

    While declaring that Nigeria couldn’t sustain spending huge sums of money to import foods that could be locally produced in Nigeria, he was optimistic that the nation in the long run will be able to produce all the food it requires to feed her people.

    To carry the farmers and the local people along, President Buhari after reading his prepared speech in English during the launching took time to summarize the speech in Hausa language to the delight of the farmers who came for the function.

    After the speech, President Buhari also took his time to go round the various stands to inspect the agro products and materials on display.

    While what has been put on paper concerning the scheme is laudable, it will not be out of place here to call for vigilance in its implementation.

    This is important because past sound agricultural policies like the ‘Operation Feed the Nation’ and the ‘Green Revolution’ did not achieve much towards removing Nigeria from a mono economy dependent on oil due to poor implementation.

    To avoid past mistakes, the nation cannot afford to lose sight of the ball in its effort to diversify the economy even if the prices of oil in the international market increases over $100 per barrel.