The thoughts of Canadians are with Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family as they mourn the passing of Prince Philip on Friday, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

A man of great purpose and conviction, who was motivated by a sense of duty to others, Prince Philip contributed so much to the social fabric of our country and the world, Trudeau tweeted Friday.

Prince Philip maintained a special relationship with Canada and particularly with Canadian Armed Forces, Trudeau said in a statement.

In 2011, he was named honorary general of the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force, as well as honorary admiral of the Royal Canadian Navy.

He was also the patron of more than 40 organisations in Canada, including the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute and the Outward Bound Trust, Trudeau added.

During his last visit to Canada in April 2013, Prince Philip was named the first-ever Extraordinary Companion of the Order of Canada by the Governor-General of Canada, Trudeau said.

A family has lost a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather.

The thoughts of Canadians are with Queen Elizabeth II and the members of the Royal Family as they mourn such a significant loss, Trudeau said. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Joy Akinsanya

The Ogun State Pilgrims Welfare Board says receiving of COVID-19 vaccination will begin on Saturday, April 10 for intending pilgrims of 2021 Hajj.

The Executive Secretary of the State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Babatunde Salau, made this known to newsmen on Friday in Abeokuta.

According to Salau, the COVID-19 vaccination for intending pilgrims is in accordance with the directives of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).

Salau, noted that the vaccination was scheduled for Saturday, April 10 and Sunday April 11, from 9.00am, saying it was compulsory for all intending pilgrims.

He urged all intending pilgrims to visit the boards secretariat complex, Block B, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta with their payment receipts for the purpose of identification and clearance for the vaccine.

The executive secretary said that those who had been vaccinated at their Local Government Areas, had no need to repeat the first dose, but should bring their vaccination card for necessary documentation.

He urged them to obey COVID-19 safety protocols by using their facemasks. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Stanley Nwanosike

The Enugu State Government says it will partner with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNESC) in ways to achieve poverty alleviation and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the state.

Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi said this during the inauguration of UNESC South-East and awards presentation in Enugu on Friday.

Ugwuanyi, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Education, Dr Kingsley Ude, said it had taken bold steps to implement programmes that had direct impact on the people since he assumed office.

These programmes in various sectors, including education, economic empowerment, agriculture, healthcare and rural development, are meant to rejuvenate our peoples economic and financial resources.

Our government is SDG compliant and we have created a special office to see that the 17 targets of the SDGs are met and our people benefit immensely from it.

As a government, we welcome UNESC to Enugu state and having your regional South-East office in Enugu.

We are assuring you of close partnership. Enugu state will be working in synergy with UNESC to ensure it achieves its SDGs target in record time for the benefit of our people, Ugwuanyi said.

In a goodwill message, Wife of the Bayelsa State Governor, Mrs Gloria Diri, said that UNESC is a call to serve Nigerians and make their lives better by pulling millions out of poverty and lack.

Diri, however, encouraged the UNESC members to remain focused and partner with government at all levels, especially at the grassroots, to ensure the SDGs are achieved.

This is to ensure there is prosperity for Nigerians, notwithstanding their remote locations, she said.

The Full Chairman of UNESC Africa, Prof. Nathan Tor-Luga, thanked the state government for receiving the council with open arms and ensuring that all its state functionaries work to achieve United Nations goals in the state.

Enugu state and entire Southeast will benefit a lot from programmes of UNESC in agriculture and innovative/digital economy, Tor-Luga said.

Speaking, Full Chairman of UNESC Nigeria, Dr Blessing Gozi-Anyaokei, said UNESC is one of the six principle organs of the UN, responsible for coordinating socio-economic, humanitarian and cultural activities carried out by UNs largest and most complex subsidiary body.

Our focus is to have a world united for common good by spreading peace and unity through different activities that will promote the SDGs, making peoples lives be in prosperity globally.

We are also in the forefront of eradicating poverty, malnutrition, maltreatment and other negativity in the lives of the people of the world.

Above all, an organisation that will be the partner of the UN in all its undertakings, Gozi-Anyaokei said.

The South-East Coordinator of UNESC, Mrs Uche Elue, said her office would focus more on empowerment for women and youths in rural areas.

Elue, who was inaugurated at the event, said: We will be leveraging agriculture, extractive industry, local arts and tourism to create jobs and wealth for our people in the rural areas.

Today, I have met with various government functionaries in Enugu and planning to meet others in other South-East states.

We will draw out a workable roadmap to marshal out programmes that will assist us achieve the SDGs.

A major highlight of the event was an award presentation to Mr Richard Egwuma, the Treasurer of Igboeze South Local Government Area, for his empowerment initiative in the area over the years. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

World leaders includingU.S. President Joe Biden, President Emmanuel Macron of France, and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, have expressed their condolences at the death of Prince Philip.

On behalf of all the people of the United States, we send our deepest condolences to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the entire Royal Family, and all the people of the United Kingdom on the death of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Bidens said in a statement.

Over the course of his 99-year life, he saw our world change dramatically and repeatedly, the statement said.

Prince Philip gladly dedicated himself to the people of the UK, the Commonwealth, and to his family, the Bidens said, adding that he would be remembered especially for the impact of his decades of devoted public service.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi also expressed condolences on behalf of the U.S. Congress in a tweet, while former president Bill Clinton and ex-secretary of state Hillary Clinton said: We enjoyed every opportunity we had to visit with him through the years, and will always be deeply grateful for the kindness he showed us.

French President Emmanuel Macron also joined in paying tribute to Prince Philip for the exemplary life he lived.

His life was defined by bravery, a sense of duty and commitment to the youth and the environment, Macron wrote in English on Twitter on Friday.

He expressed his sincere condolences to Queen Elizabeth II, the British royal family, and the British people.

It was the same for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who tweeted, The death of Prince Philip fills me with great sadness.

His friendship towards Germany, his straightforwardness, and his sense of duty will remain unforgotten. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari has extended his condolences to the Queen of England over the death of her husband, Prince Philip at the age of 99.

The presidents condolence message was contained in a statement issued by his Spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Friday.

The death of Duke of Edinburgh is the end of an era. Prince Philip was one of the greatest and publicly recognisable international figures whose contributions to the Commonwealth will be remembered for generations to come.

Prince Philip was a great man in his own right who made enormous contributions to philanthropic activities and charities, especially for wildlife conservation and youth development programmes, in more than 130 countries, he said.

Buhari described the Duke of Edinburgh as a remarkable husband who had been happily married to the Queen since 1947, saying: this is an impressive record for any marriage at any level.

The president also commiserated with the government of the United Kingdom, members of the Commonwealth on the sad loss of this royal and indeed global icon. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Muftau Ogunyemi

Ondo State government is setto create no fewer than 11,000 jobs for the teeming unemployed youth across all 18 local government areas of the state.

The Special Adviser to Gov.Rotimi Akeredolu on Entrepreneurship Development, Mr Summy Francis, Mr Summy Francis, made this known while speaking with newsmen on Friday in Akure.

Francis said that the jobs would be created through theestablishment of creative sustainable initiatives under the State Entrepreneurship Agency (ONDEA).

According to him,Akeredolu, who hasalways been an advocate of job creation and poverty eradication through entrepreneurship development, has expressed his passion for economic development through the creation of ONDEA.

Francis explained that plans were ongoing to host an unemployment summit in September to identify and access the various job creation initiatives, opportunities and programmes being made available by different stakeholders.

He noted that the summit wouldalso serve as a platform to creatively provide data that could constructively inform strategic decisions as it concerned unemployment in the state.

The summit will be a climax of many of the states entrepreneurship development activities and initiatives for 2021. This will be kick-started with a set of pre-summit programmes from May to September.

The pre-summit programme will be held across all the 18 LGAs, giving equal opportunities toyouths in all strata of the society. Application will be made online and offline in all the local government secretariats.

All unemployed youths, citizens and residents of the state are advised to visit www.ondea.ng/jobs to apply for the programme that best suits their profiles, he said.

According to him, the initiative will help retrain and reposition youths for earning legitimately online.

There is also a programme, aimed at re-positioning rural traders to become more productive by taking advantage of the available scarce resources and the vast market in the state,particularly trading across borders, through collaborations and deliberate market segmentation.

This programme will include creation of agropreneurs who will engage in crop production, cattle rearing and fishery, amongothers, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Joan Nwagwu

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Kaduna State Government to reverse the mass sack of workers in the state, describing it as an arbitrary and cruel decision.

NLC President, Mr Ayuba Wabba, made the call in a letter addressed to the State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, a copy of which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Friday, in Abuja.

Your Excellency, we wish to refer to a letter with reference number GH/KD/5 and addressed to the Head of Service, Kaduna State, by Dr Salisu Suleiman, Principal Private Secretary to Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

The letter under reference conveyed the decisions of the Kaduna State Government to give effect to compulsory retirement of officers that are 50 years old and above; compulsory retirement of officers on Grade Level 14 and above, even if they are less than fifty years.

Others are conversion to casual workers for officers on Grade Level 01 06 and the directive that no Local Government in Kaduna State shall have more than 50 staff strength.

We understand that right now redundancy letters are being issued to workers caught in the web of this very arbitrary and cruel decision.

We wish to remind Your Excellency that this draconian and insensitive move by your government has humungous impact on the livelihood and survival of thousand of Kaduna State workers and their families, Wabba said.

The labour leader noted that the action by the Kaduna State Government violated the fundamental human and trade union rights of Kaduna State workers.

He added that this was also a gross violation of extant labour laws, especially Section 20 Sub Sections 1 (a-c), 2 and 3 of Nigerias Labour Act, which specified the conditions that must be met before any worker could be declared redundant.

To be precise, Section 20 of the Labour Act, inter alia, provides for the following minimum: The employer shall inform the trade union or workers representatives concerned of the reasons for and the extent of the anticipated redundancy, the NLC president said.

According to him, the actions of the Kaduna State Government to retire workers, who were yet to attain the statutory retirement age of 60 years or 35 years of service, amounted to a contemptuous disdain of the workforce.

This is also a flagrant violation of the provisions of the civil service rules as contained in contracts of employment of the affected workers, at both state and local government.

It is pertinent at this point to remind Your Excellency that Nigeria is not a Banana Republic, but a Constitutional Republic governed by laws, rules and regulations.

To the best of our knowledge, none of the extant provisions in our Constitution, Labour Laws and Civil Service rules, were adhered to before the ongoing redundancy of workers in Kaduna State, he said.

Wabba, furthermore, called the attention of the Kaduna State Government to the clause in the redundancy letter issued to workers, affected by the mass sack, that all the entitlements of the affected workers would be paid in due course, describing this as being in conflict with the provisions of the Labour Act on redundancy.

Your Excellency is aware that the clause in the letter is vague, noncommittal, ambiguous and anomalous with the provisions of the Labour Act on redundancy.

Succinctly put, this industrial ill-wind was only a furtherance of the climate of neo-liberal and anti-workers policies which your administration is increasingly gaining a badge of notoriety in the eyes of right-thinking Nigerians.

Section 20 (1c) of the Labour Act provides that: the employer shall use his best endeavours to negotiate redundancy payments to any discharged workers.

Your Excellency, what the law provides for is that redundancy benefits must be negotiated, he said.

Wabba said the fact that many Kaduna State teachers sacked over two years ago were yet to receive their retirement benefits offered little hope that workers, currently marked for mass sack, will receive theirs any time soon.

He said that the purge of Kaduna State workforce with unjust, arbitrary and illegal mass sack, especially amidst the great difficulties and hardship occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, was a poorly conceived, extremely wrong, and morally indefensible policy.

This policy also has very huge implications for the already serious unemployment and security situation in Kaduna State and the country at large.

The pervading fear now is that the security crisis in Kaduna State will worsen, when bread winners are deprived of their legitimate income and their families put in disarray.

We write to demand that Your Excellency quickly reverses the so-called rationalisation and casualization of Kaduna State workers.

If this unsavoury situation persists, Organised Labour will not hesitate to fall back on the lawful options available to workers to pursue justice in this matter, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ijeoma Olorunfemi

The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has commenced training for geospatial data producers in states within the Northern region, urging them to ensure availability of data that would enable development.

The training is organised under the Geo-Referenced Infrasturcture and Demographic Data for Development (GRID3) project implemented through NASRDAin collaboration with other stakeholders.

GRID3is part of a bigger global initiative programme aimed at improving access to data for decision making among the member countries.

Dr Matthew Adepoju, Head, Cadastral Mapping and Urban Space Applications Division of NASRDA,disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.

Adepoju, also Chairman, GRID3 Project Implementation Team, said the training piloted in six states, including the FCT according to geo-political zone, began on April 6 and expected to end on April 30.

The states for the pilot training included Kaduna for North Central, Niger for North West, Bauchi for North East, Lagos for South West, Enugu for South East and Cross River for South South regions.

Adepoju said the North regional training started on April 6 and expected to end April 16, while the second phase for Sourthern region would hold from April 19 to 30.

Adepoju explained geospatial data as data or information that have explicit association with a location relative to the Earth or a technology that allows for mapping of locations.

The project chairman further disclosed that with the training, state governments are expected to share the geospatial data of resources in their states, their locations on theGRID3portal.

GRID3Nigeria projectaims to increase access to data for use by State government decision makers, donor agencies, non-profit organisations, private sector partners through the continuous availability of arobust and updated GRID3geodatabase.

It also aims to improve capacity of data managers to make data available to be integrated into planning processes for decision makers through capacity building activities across the country.

The ultimate goal of the project is to ensure that Nigerian people, particularly the poor and vulnerable, benefit from an evidence-based resource distribution and data driven policy-making by decision makers, he said.

He added that theproject will also increase coordination in the collection and management of data in Nigeria through the GRID3portal.

According to him,with Nigeria joining comity of space faring nations in 2003 and the launch of NigeriaSat-1 satellite, have provided opportunity for scientists to engage in research using remote sensing data.

The chairman said the country have made progress in geo-information related technologies especially in disaster management, security, telemedicine, navigation and agriculture, among other sectors.

He, however, said that this is another testament to the great strides in the peaceful uses of home-grown solution to ensure timely and quality delivery of government policy and programmes for good governance based on geospatial data driven initiatives.

He said: Cross River state has large deposit of gas, we need to know the locations for the global community to be aware.

Industralisation requires land, capital and other components and we have formation of other resources in different states that can attract investors to the advantage of enhanced resources leading to good governance, economic buoyancy and better lives for citizens, Adepoju said.

He assured of NASRDAs commitment in the management, hosting, and maintenance of allGRID3data and the portal on behalf of the Federal Government.

Adepoju said that NASRDA have prioritised the long-term integration and sustainability of geospatial analytics in the country as required byGRID3Nigeria Project.

The project chairman said NASRDA would be responsible for collaborating with various ministries, departments and agencies at national and sub-national levels to integrate and harmonise any government hosted geospatial data into the GRID3 Nigeria portal.

FCT is expected to make all declassified geospatial datasets available on theGRID3Portal.

The project is donating hardware to FCT Geo-Information System Centre, comprising of two high end workstations for data processing, use case, etc, as well as N20,000 monthly for a period of twelve months for internet subscription to support their activities, he said.

He added that same amount is being given to the states where the programme is piloted and need assessment report done in March 2020 to support their activities.

NAN recalls that the national data producers workshop held from March 16 to 25 in Abuja, while global and national information about GRID3 can be found on www.grid3.gov.ng and www.grid3.org.

Source: NAN News

By Ijeoma Okigbo

Joseph Okonobo, the Edo male cricket coach, says fatigue hampered the states chances of a fourth gold medal in cricket at the ongoing 20th National Sports Festival (NSF).

Edo swept the men and women six-a-side event, winning the gold medals, as well as the T20 womens event at the NSF tagged Edo 2020 in Benin.

But a more determined Kaduna team humbled the hosts as they lost by six wickets in the T20 finals on Thursday.

Okonobo, who was not happy about the defeat, however praised the teams performance while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

I feel a little bit down, but I will still give kudos to the boys because they were all tired.

We participated in the national mens cricket tournament which ended a day before the commencement of the festival.

We played about five matches and they won that tournament and resumed at the festival immediately.

So, the boys are really tired, hence they lost the match. They tried their best to salvage the situation but their state of fatigue was obvious in their play, he added.

In the match, Team Edo won the toss and opted to bat.

They were limited to 50 runs all out in 14.1 overs.

Kaduna needed 51 runs to win and raced quickly to that score in 10.4 overs with four wickets out.

NAN reports that the One Day International (ODI) event begins Friday. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Usman Aliyu

Festival

Mr Bode Durotoye, the Chairman, Game Services, Edo 2020, has scored the Edo Government high in the organisation of the 20th National Sports Festival (NSF) so far.

Durotoye gave the pass mark in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Friday.

He said that the host state has been outstanding in the organisation of the event in terms of logistics and facilities.

The organisation is very seamless. We are on top of it, we are doing well.

Both the Main Organising Committee (MOC) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) are on top of the situation and everything is fine.

If you take a step to the doping centre, everybody is fine, games service, our men are there, the hostels in Ugbowo and Ekenma campus, everything is okay.

The only complaint somebody came with is that there is mosquito, but there is mosquito everywhere in Nigeria, he said.

On complaints and appeals arising from games, Durotoye said such complaints were being resolved as they come.

If there is no complaint like that, then we are not competing. There should be complaints and as they come, we resolve them.

There are so many like poaching. Some people got here and discovered that their athletes are competing for another state and they will want to raise question.

But if they have genuine complaints we treat it and if the complaint is not genuine like how much, how you paying the athletes for the past 12 months.

He said that the purpose of organising the fiesta has been achieved through the unity among the athletes from across the country.

There is nothing like Fulani herdsmen attacking anybody. We are all one, nobody is talking about where you come from. They are making friends, so we have achieved it, he said.

Source: NAN News

Sudan has reiterated keenness to reach a deal over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) that satisfies all stakeholders.

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry made this known in a statement on Thursday.

We reaffirm Sudans firm and vigorous keenness to reach an agreement that satisfies all parties and preserves their interests, including Ethiopias right to development, on the condition that a binding agreement is signed on filling and operation of the Renaissance Dam and in accordance with what was agreed upon in the (2015) Declaration of Principles, the ministry said.

It also refuted the reported statements by the Ethiopian minister of water, irrigation and energy that Sudan and Egypt refused the participation of South Africa in the dam negotiation team.

These statements are incorrect and untrue, the ministry argued.

It blamed the failure of the latest round of talks to reach a deal on Ethiopias obstinacy and its failure to respond to the proposed solutions presented by Sudan and Egypt.

From April 3 to 5, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, current chair of the African Union, hosted a round of talks over the GERD with the participation of Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia.

Sudan proposed a mediation quartet of the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, and the African Union regarding the GERD issue.

Ethiopia, however, rejected this formula.

In February, Ethiopia said it would carry on with the second-phase 13.5-billion-cubic-meter filling of the GERD in June.

The volume of the first-phase filling last year was 4.9 billion cubic meters.

Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia have been in talks for years over the technical and legal issues related to the filling and operation of the GERD.

Ethiopia, which started building the GERD in 2011, expects to produce more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity from the dam project, while Egypt and Sudan, downstream Nile Basin countries that rely on the river for its freshwater, are concerned that the dam might affect their share of the water resources. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

RB Leipzig have extended the contract of their former captain Willi Orban to 2025 and also agreed to employ the Hungarian defender after he retires as a footballer.

Willi has been a big part of our successful path over many years and also proven this season how important he is for our team, sport director Markus Kroesche said on Friday.

He leads with good performances on the pitch and is also an important part of the dressing room. Willi symbolizes RB Leipzig and hes an important identification figure for our fans.

Orban, 28, joined then second division Leipzig in 2015 from Kaiserslautern and helped the team earn promotion to the top-flight before becoming a challenger in the Bundesliga and Champions League.

He was captain until last season when he passed the armband to Marcel Sabitzer following an injury-hit campaign.

Im happy and pleased to continue my journey with Leipzig, said Orban. Since joining in 2015, an incredible amount of things have happened across the whole club and were far from being finished.

We have a lot of plans and I want to help the club achieve its goals.

Source: NAN News

An expedition of Egyptian archaeologists has unearthed a 3,000-year-old lost city in present-day Luxor, a discovery that is being described as one of the most important finds in Egypt since Tutankhamens tomb in 1922.

The ancient city dates to the era of the Eighteenth Dynastys king Amenhotep III, who ruled the country from 1391 to 1353 BC, said prominent Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass, who led the expedition.

Many foreign missions searched for this city and never found it, Hawass, a former antiquities affairs minister, said in an online statement Thursday.

The Egyptian expedition was surprised to discover the largest city ever found in Egypt, he added.

The city was the largest administrative and industrial settlement in the era of the Egyptian empire on the western bank of Luxor, according to Hawass.

The citys streets are flanked by houses, which some of their walls are up to 3 metres high, Hawass said.

A large number of archaeological finds, including rings, scarabs, coloured pottery vessels, and mud bricks bearing seals of king Amenhotep III, confirmed the dating of the city.

The statement quoted Betsy Brian, a professor of Egyptology at John Hopkins University in the United States, as saying: The discovery of this lost city is the second most important archaeological discovery since the tomb of Tutankhamun.

The excavation started in September 2020 searching for the mortuary temple of Tutankhamun.

To the teams great surprise, formations of mud bricks began to appear in all directions. What they unearthed was the site of a large city in a good condition of preservation, with almost complete walls, and with rooms filled with tools of daily life, Hawass said.

Two unusual burials of a cow or bull were found inside one of the rooms. Investigations are under way to determine the nature and purpose of this practice.

The archaeological layers have laid untouched for thousands of years, left by the ancient residents as if it were yesterday, the statement said.

Egypt has in recent years announced a string of archaeological discoveries in an attempt to revive its battered tourism industry, a main source of national income.

Last week, Egypt paraded on Cairos streets 22 ancient royal mummies in a high-profile procession that marked their transfer from their long residence at the Egyptian Museum in iconic Tahrir Square to a new Cairo museum.

Egypts tourism industry has been hit by unrest since the 2011 uprising against long-time ruler Hosny Mubarak as well as the global pandemic.

Source: NAN News

Farmers and garden owners are burying 2,000 pairs of white underwear across Switzerland in a study of soil quality.

The state research institute Agroscope is sending two pairs of cotton underpants each to voluntary study participants to bury in soil.

The underpants will later be examined to see how much the textiles have been broken down by tiny organisms.

This is an indicator of soil quality, project leader Marcel van der Heijden said on Thursday.

The ecologist told dpa there had already been similar experiments with underpants in Canada, but not on this scale.

It is already known that the burial of tea bags can be used to gauge soil health.

The volunteers, who came forward after Agroscopes call-out, will bury standardised tea bags for comparison and also take soil samples to test the reliability of the pants method.

The project is running under the name Evidence Underpants.

One pair of underpants will be dug up and photographed from the meadows, plant beds and fields after one month and the second after another month.

Afterwards, the decomposition of the natural fibres will be digitally analysed: the more holes, the healthier the soil.

In a pilot study, the participants own intimate clothing was buried, but the textiles were not comparable, van der Heijden said.

Thats why researchers are now relying on standardised pants, he said.

This is more scientific. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Abdullahi Mohammed

The Jigawa Government, on Thursday, said it had delineated more than 400,000 hectares of untapped farmland for allocation to prospective investors in agricultural production in the state.

Gov. Muhammad Badaru made this known at the inauguration of the tallest National flag erected at about 50.3 feet and a tour, by five governors, of the Malam ALU Integrated Agro Allied farm, in Birnin Kudu.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 50 .3 feet National Flag, erected on the farm, is said to be the tallest flag in Nigeria, specifically erected to symbolise National pride.

The Governors, who inspected the farm were, Badaru, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, Bello Masari of Katsina, Abdulrahman Abdurrazak of Kwara, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano, and Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe States.

However, Ganduje was represented by his deputy, Dr Nasiru Gawuna, while Yahaya was represented by the Speaker, Gombe State House of Assembly, Hon. Abubakar Muhammad.

Badaru explained that of the 400,000 hectares, 35,000 had already been allocated to some companies who are currently operating in various localities in the state.

The governor, therefore, called on prospective farmers to come forward and apply for the farmland for possible production of rice and other agricultural produce.

He appreciated the efforts of Hon. Faruku Adamu in establishing the Malam ALU Integrated Agro Allied farm in Birnin Kudu, citing it as a clear demonstration of patriotism and consistent with the President Muhammad Buharis National Agricultural Policy.

Earlier, Fayemi, who is also the Chairman, Nigerian Governors Forum, said he initiated the visit after watching a documentary about the farm on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

The governor said what they saw on the farm was the best scientific approach to achieving food security, poverty eradication and sustainable economic development in Nigeria.

Similarly, Masari, Abdurrazak and Ganduje, called on political leaders to support and promote such private initiatives for Job creation, poverty eradication and sustainable economic development.

Earlier, Aliyu, also the Chairman of the company, said the initiative was sequel to the call made by president Buhari on all Nigerians to return to the farm for the realization of food security in the country. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ismail Abdulaziz
Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC (DSR) has denied an online publication claiming the companys involvement in price-fixing and not transparently engaged in any Backward Integration Programme as claimed.

DSR wishes to vehemently refute the allegations and assertions in their entirety as the false allegations are geared at tarnishing the good name and brand of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc and Dangote Industries Limited.

DSR does not engage in artificial price manipulation of its products, either during the Holy month of Ramadan or at any other time. We have never ever increased price of our food items or commodities during the Holy month of Ramadan in the history of our operations according to the Group Managing Director, Mr Ravindra Singhvi.

He also added that the Company is socially responsible and considers price-fixing to be unethical.

Such allegation is highly mischievous and a calculated attempt to smear the reputation of DSR. DSR can only sadly conclude that the online publication is mischievous and geared at creating some form of undue advantage to some Industry players, he said.

Singhvi said that the company began its Backward Integration Programme (BIP) with a 10-year sugar development plan, to produce 1.5 million MT per annum of sugar from locally grown sugarcane.

The Project commenced with acquisition of large expanse of land in strategic locations such as Taraba, Adamawa and Nasarawa States. To this end, three BIP sugar companies; Dangote Taraba Sugar Limited, Dangote Adamawa Sugar Limited, Nasarawa Sugar Company Limited were incorporated.

The Company had commenced rehabilitation and expansion of its Sugar Factory at Numan. Sugarcane planting has also commenced in the two other BIP locations.

He said DSR has a responsibility to the Government, Nigerians and the Sugar Industry and other stakeholders to protect the integrity of the Sugar industry.

He gave the assurance that DSR would do all that is necessary to protect the integrity of the Sugar Industry, not engage in price fixing and to encourage healthy competition among the players.

He said that DSR had alerted the government of a practice that runs contrary to the Federal Government drive for self sufficiency in Sugar through a letter dated Jan. 28 for investigation.
PR:

Source: NAN News

By Itohan Abara-Laserian
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has warned the public on the proliferation of unregistered online investment and trading platforms facilitating access to securities trading in foreign markets.

This is contained in a circular to the Capital Market Operators (CMOs) issued by the management of the commission made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday.

The attention of the SEC has been drawn to the existence of several providers of online investment and trading platforms which purportedly facilitate direct access of the investing public in the Federal Republic of Nigeria to securities of foreign Companies listed on Securities Exchanges registered in other jurisdictions.

These platforms also claim to be operating in partnership with CMOs registered with the Commission, it said.

The Commission stated that by the provisions of Sections 67 to 70 of the Investments and Securities Act (ISA), 2007 and Rules 414 and 415 of the SEC Rules and Regulations, only foreign securities listed on any Exchange registered in Nigeria may be issued, sold or offered for sale or subscription to the Nigerian public.

Accordingly, the commission notified the CMOs who work in concert with the referenced online platforms of the Commissions position and advised them to desist henceforth.

The Commission enjoins the investing public to seek clarification as may be required via its established channels of communication on investment products advertised through conventional or online mediums it added. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma
Trading at the domestic equities market closed positive on Thursday with the market capitalisation increasing by N14 billion due to buying interest in tier 1 banks.

The market capitalisation which opened at N20.286 trillion inched higher by N14 billion or 0.07 per cent to close at N20.300 trillion.

Also, the All-Share Index grew by 25.80 points or 0.07 per cent to close at 38,799.83 from 38,774.03 posted on Wednesday.

Accordingly, month-to-date and year-to-date losses moderated to 0.6 per cent and 3.7 per cent, respectively.

The market gain was driven by price appreciation in large and medium capitalised stocks amongst which are; Okomu Oil, Zenith Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Oando and Access Bank.

Market breadth was positive with 13 stocks gainers against 12 losers.

Consolidated Hallmark Insurance dominated the gainers chart in percentage terms with a gain of 9.68 per cent to close at 34k per share.

Japaul Gold and Ventures followed with 9.43 per cent to close at 58k, while Oando was up by 5.16 per cent to close at N3.26 per share.

AIICO Insurance rose by five per cent to close at N1.26, while Zenith Bank appreciated by 3.81 per cent to close at N21.80 per share.

Conversely, Royal Exchange led the laggards chart in percentage terms with 7.69 per cent to close at 36k per share.

Jaiz Bank followed with a loss of 6.06 per cent to close at 62k per share.

Honeywell Flour Mill shed 5.04 per cent to close at N1.13, while Daar Communications and Linkage Assurance depreciated by 4.76 per cent each to close at 20k and 80k per share, respectively.

However, the total volume of trades decreased by 59.2 per cent as investors bought and sold 145.33 million shares valued at N1.58 billion in 3,525 deals.

This was in contrast with 356.46 million shares valued at N4.19 billion exchanged in 6,130 deals on Wednesday.

Transactions in the shares of FBN Holdings topped the activity chart with 21.85 million shares worth N157.18 million.

Guaranty Trust Bank followed with 20.50 million shares valued at N589.17 million, while Zenith Bank traded 17.58 million shares worth N379.88 million.

Access Bank sold 8.59 million shares valued at N68.89 million, while Japaul Gold and Ventures transacted 7.58 million shares valued at N4.34 million. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Deborah Coker
The Atlantique Marine Engineering Services (AMES), promoters of the AMES-Edo Inland Container Dry Port, has disclosed that it projected a standard gauge rail for the port.

Dr Charles Akhigbe, MD/CEO of AMES, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Benin, that the rail line was significant to the project meant for transport infrastructure.

He explained that the Federal Government had already paid for the feasibility plan for the rail and the projection was made for standard gauge rail.

He also disclosed that the Edo Government had approved the reconstruction of the road leading to the dry port while a rail connection from Agbor in Delta State was also in the offing.

Akhigbe disclosed that the Inland Container Depot/Truck Transit Park Implementation committee had also engaged the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).

This is to discuss dedicated export warehouses, refrigerated warehouses, containers and other top facilities required for an export centre.

He noted that container dry ports were top priority projects that would grow the Nations Economy when operational.

Akhigbe further said that the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), at a recent meeting had given assurance to position the project as one of the foremost transport infrastructures in the country.

He said that this was with a view to attract investments and partnerships for the Edo dry port.

He also explained that the NSC had disclosed that it intends to engage the Afreximbank for funding for the project (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ahmed Ubandoma

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on Thursday eulogised the tenacity, courage and commitment of the First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari.

Osinbajo was speaking during a public presentation of a Book written by Dr Hajo Sani, titled Aisha Buhari: Being Different, at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said the first lady has championed and improved access to healthcare for women especially on maternal health with the aim of reducing maternal mortality in rural communities.

We understand the roots of her relentless pursuit in these past years of the empowerment of women especially through education, the need for young girls to get primary and secondary education before getting marriage, he said.

The vice president also commended the first lady for expressing her views on issues, especially issues that affect the advancement of women and girls.

She is of course the first, first lady to be on Tweeter, on Instagram and other social media platforms, getting her views across to the Nigerian people.

She is probably the first to receive in real time the opinion of Nigerians on her views, he said.

She has established an on-going conversation with the people, the issue that concern them most and the issue that concern us most is the issue of security, putting food on the table.

Osinbajo also said the first lady championed the fight against drug abuse, violation and victimisation of women and girl child education.

There is no question that Aisha Buhari is different, her difference has been empowering women and girls.

It is unlikely that Aisha Buhari will forever be forgotten and even if there was a chance of this happening, this well written attempt of documenting her life and times;

Her contribution as first lady to national life through the courses she promoted removes that possibility, he said.

While commending the effort of the author, Osinbajo said, it does not matter how many degrees, chieftaincy tittles or honours one has but courage, integrity and selflessness.

History has shown that it doesnt matter how many degrees you have, titles or honours follow your name or how high the position you hold.

The rare privilege of public service can only be justified by courage, integrity and selflessness, to these Aisha Buhari as being yourself, being different.

He said the book highlights the evolution of the first lady from a silent supporter of the Presidents political adventures to an active mobiliser.

It also highlights her evolution from a silent supporter of her husbands political adventures to an active mobiliser and campaigner who played a major role in selling him to the Nigerian electorate.

The author also seeks to document practical work that first lady does in the past five years.

Which it begin with the detail and a most sensitive chronicle of her childhood years and her growth as a woman, wife and a mother, he noted.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was attended by the APC National Leader Bola Tinubu as Chairman; former first lady Patience Jonathan, Gov. of Yobe Mai Mala Buni; Gov. Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State; and former governor of Nasarawa State, Sen. Tanko Al-Makura.

Others are the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar III, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Adewusi.

Source: NAN News