By Emmanuella Anokam

Prof. Adesoji Adesugba, Managing Director, Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), has urged its management team to build a sustainable mentorship programme for all staff to entrench stronger team work and professionalism.

Adesugba made the remark, in his address of welcome, at a dinner to mark the opening of NEPZAs Management Retreat in Zuba, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory.

In a statement by Martins Odeh, Head, Corporate Communications, NEPZA, on Saturday, he explained that the obvious gaps in service delivery in most establishments were traceable to the inability of top management to build virile succession plans.

According to him, the only antidote to forestall external sourcing for the directorate cadre was to deliberately promote the transfer of requisite knowledge to younger officers.

I am a team player and I also enjoy impacting on my staff. This is the right attitude of professionalism that can help sustain the gains we are making.

We must henceforth open up more to those working under us with a view to transferring knowledge of the Free Trade Zones (FTZs) operations at that rung of the ladder.

Let us endeavour to build succession plans for the Authority, Adesugba said.

He also urged the team to use the period to regenerate, at the retreat with the theme: Ideas of Change Executive Retreat 2021, which runs from Friday to Sunday.

The identified conversation topics were: Strategic Planning and Budgeting; Problem Solving Techniques; Developing and Tracking of Annual Goals: Monitoring and Evaluation; Team building; Corporate Governance and NEPZA Executive Session, among others.

In another development, the Authority has won the Award of Industrial Development Excellence from the Organised Private Sector represented by the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI)

The award, which was conferred at the inauguration of the new ACCI President, Dr Al-Mujtaba Abubakar, in Abuja, recognised NEPZAs tremendous contributions to industrial and economic development.

These feats, ACCI noted, manifested in the growing contributions of the Authority to tax revenues, the widening of the national industrial base and increasing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the FTZs.

The feats also included the development of new free trade zones on medical, agriculture and cotton among others.

The ACCI also observed with deep interest the systematic reforms of the FTZs sector which were reflected in the ongoing huge investment the Federal Government was making in the Kano and Calabar free zones, respectively.

Within the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area, the ACCI management stated that NEPZA should be supported in its vision to expand the countrys industrial production capacity to compete on the continent.

Adesugba, however, said the award was for President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, who provided leadership and direction for all the accomplishments NEPZA had recorded thus far. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Afusat Agunbiade-Oladipo

The Kwara Government has confirmed received of N3.280 billion from the Federal Government as its March statutory allocation.

Mr Daibu Abubakar, the Press Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Planning, said this in a statement on Saturday in Ilorin.

He said the breakdown of the allocation figures comprises: Statutory Revenue Allocation (SRA) of N1,780,906,717:37 (net); Value Added Tax (VAT) of N1,450,601,517:80; Forex Equalisation Fund of N45,905,022:05; Excess Bank Charges of N3,157,916:33 and total deductions of N350,066,963:71.

He however explained that the total inflow for the month of March was lower than that of February, which was N3,579,792,341:91, the statement added.

The deduction in the allocation also affected the 16 local government areas, as they got a total inflow of N2,003,444,477:39, as against the total inflow of N2,419,090,836:31 received in February.

The breakdowns of the allocation to the 16 LGAs are: SRA of N1,151,585,239:24 (net); VAT of N819,571,407:14, Forex Equalisation Fund of N30,209,637.68, and Excess Bank Charges of N2,078,193:3.

There is also a total deductions of N253,936,350:68, inclusive of two months deductions, for equipping healthcare centres at Local Government Areas.

With the LGAs having exhausted their savings to augment salary, as allocations continued to drop in the past months, they now require a support of N110,721,693:89 from the state government.

This is to enable them to pay 100 per cent salary at N30,000 minimum wage (for GL01-08), alongside their other first line charges for the month of March, the statement read in part. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Nigerian Army troops of 28 Task Force Brigade in Chibok and Askira, have neutralised about 48 Boko Haram terrorists and rescued 11 abducted victims in latest onslaught in Borno.

The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Yerima, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

Yerima said that troops achieved the feat while acting on credible intelligence that some remnants of insurgents were fleeing due to the intensity of troops operations in Sambisa Forest.

He said the troops laid ambush for the terrorists along Chibok-Damboa axis, killing nine while several others escaped with fatal gunshot wounds in one encounter.

Yerima said that the troops also recovered seven AK47 Rifles and freed three kidnapped victims.

He said that troops of 28 Task Force Brigade located in Askira also laid a successful ambush along Askira Chibok Main Supply Route (MSR) and neutralised 39 terrorists in another encounter.

Army spokesperson also disclosed that the troops successfully rescued eight kidnapped victims from the terrorists in the course of the encounter.

Unfortunately however, one of the kidnapped victims sustained injury to his leg while in the hands of his abductors.

He has since been conveyed to a military medical facility for immediate treatment, he said.

Yerima added that troops recovered another eight AK47 Rifles with four magazines, among other items.

According to him, the gallant troops are presently dominating the area with aggressive patrols and are equally on a trail of fleeing terrorists in order to locate and neutralise them.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru appreciated the gallantry and dexterity of the troops.

He urged them to remain dogged and maintain their offensive posture in all operations until the area is rid of all remnants of terrorists.

He equally appreciated members of the public for their continuous support to the troops and enjoined them to continue to provide credible information to the troops and other security agencies operating within their localities. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Hassana Yakubu

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has called on the Federal Government to invest massively on job creation to tackle insecurity and unemployment in the country.

Tinubu made the appeal in a remark at the opening of the 2021 annual Arewa House Lectures, which he chaired on Saturday in Kaduna.

The lecture was on Reduction of the Cost of Governance for Inclusive Growth and Youth Development in Northern Nigeria in a Post- COVID-19 era.

He said that government must urgently think outside of the box in finding solutions to the challenges posed by unemployment.

According to him, the frustration and despair among the youth was largely caused by chronic poverty and breakdown in social institutions.

Building vital infrastructure such as irrigation and water catchment systems will help agriculture, arrest desertification and provide jobs.

Another readily available area primed for investment is the agro allied industry which, for the northern region is particularly advantageous, he said.

Tinubu added that government must implement a national industrial policy to encourage key industries to begin to employ the countrys growing population.

On the herder and farmer dispute, the former Lagos State Governor said the government must appreciate that martial security measures alone will not suffice.

Problems that are essentially of an economic origin must also have an economic solution.

Enhanced security may be the necessary first step, but it cannot be the only step.

We cannot resolve this problem by holding on to one-dimensional answers. We must all be dispassionate in our search for solutions.

These challenges are multi-faceted and so the solutions must be.

The issue of insecurity, unemployment and extremism has many things to do with governance, over time. We must tackle our deep and widespread poverty.

If we limit governments role under the erroneous assumption that government spending is intrinsically unproductive, then we tether ourselves to failure.

He also cautioned those advocating for small government, advising them to learn from history.

We would do well to more critically study how other populous nations such as the UK, US, Germany and China charted their course during their formative years.

You will see that they did not adhere to small government or the purportedly free market.

Government engaged in massive spending on infrastructure and education while also engaging in policies that protected industrial development and key aspects of the agricultural sector.

Only when they matured and held advantages over other nations, did the UK and US begin to champion free markets and small government.

We would do well to understand this history and learn what it means for our own pursuit of development, Tinubu added.

He also cautioned against the assumption that government spending was unproductive.

The development of any populous nation has always been dependent on the ability of government to allocate sufficient funds to projects and programs that create and encourage enduring growth and employment.

We must reject that mode of thinking that assumes government expenditure is inherently unproductive as well as harmful to the overall economy.

It is not the fact that government expenditure is intrinsically wrong any more than one can say all private sector activity is economically positive.

Government can be wasteful or it can be the key component to growth just as a private sector business can function profitably or spend itself into bankruptcy.

The issue is not whether government is spending money or not. The real issue is the economic utility and quality of the expenditure, the Asiwaju said.

Tinubu suggested fiscal wisdom in running the nations economy, which he noted was weak due to the efforts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fiscal wisdom but not necessarily austerity is required for an economy like ours in a time like this, to ensure equitable wealth redistribution and meaningful use of resources.

The years have shown that the private sector is much too weak to spur the growth we need.

If the private sector could manage this feat, it would have already done so. Where the private sector is too weak or unable, the government must fill the void.

This means government must not be afraid to embark on an activist fiscal policy to create jobs, build infrastructure and develop our industrial sector as well as continue to improve agriculture.

This means government must spend money on those things that bring the requisite economic returns for the nation, he said.

Tinubu advised states and local governments to shape their budgets to suit their revenues, as federal government spend more to create more jobs for the youth.

This, he said was to eradicate restiveness and sundry criminality among the youth.

On the effects of COVID-19 on the economy, Tinubu advised the government to provide more stimulus packages to revive the fledgling economy.

In the midst of our local challenges came the COVID-19 pandemic, with its debilitating impact on the global and domestic economies.

Nigeria, like many other countries, has not been spared the impact of the pandemic.

Commendably, however, President Muhammadu Buhari has been carefully steering the country through the pandemic such that the negative impact on us and the economy has not been as harsh as it might have been.

The economys relapse into recession has ended, but we must admit the economy remains weak with too much unemployment and resources left idle, he added.

He stressed that nations that recovered most quickly from the 2009 economic crisis and now from COVID-19 were those that engaged most in government stimulus spending. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday expressed worry on the steady shrinking of Lake Chad, saying that the development had adversely affected over 30 million people.

Buhari said that the lake had become just about 10 per cent of its original size.

The president made the statement when he hosted the President of Chad, Marshal Idris Deby Itno, who paid him an official visit at the State House, Abuja.

Mr Femi Adesina, the presidents spokesman in a statement, quoted Buhari as saying that: It is imperative that there be water transfer to Lake Chad from the Congo Basin so that people can resume their normal lives.

He noted that with inter-basin water transfer, farming, fishing and animal husbandry would resume and curtail irregular migration of youths.

According to the Nigerian leader, young people now dare the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea, to get into Europe to seek greener pastures.

Ive been engaging with relevant stakeholders in Africa and beyond on why we need to recharge Lake Chad. Nigeria will benefit more but it is also advantageous to everyone.

Buhari lauded Chad for its role in curbing insurgency in the Lake Chad region, especially the Boko Haram challenge.

We appreciate what you are doing on security.

When I first came to office in 2015, I came to see you and other leaders in our neighbouring countries because it makes sense to be in the good books of our neighbours.

Buhari wished the Chadian leader well in the general elections coming up in that country next month.

The Chadian leader thanked Buhari for receiving him, saying: we are neighbours facing similar challenges.

He said that he was in Nigeria to explore bilateral issues and to discuss with the Nigerian government on issues relating to regional security.

Itno told Buhari to consider the possibility of convening an international summit to dialogue on the crisis in the Lake Chad area. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari has given his blessings to Muhammad Umar Faruk and Maimuna Ahmed Idris, as they were joined in matrimony on Saturday.

Muhammad is the son of Emir of Daura, Alhaji Faruk Umar Faruk while Maimuna is the daughter of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Ahmed Idris.

In a message delivered on his behalf by a delegation to Kano State led by the Minister of Defence, retired Maj.-Gen. Bashir Magashi, Buhari said his sincere blessings and good wishes will remain with the newly-weds.

A statement by the presidents spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Saturday, the president prayed for peace, harmony and prosperity in the home of the couple, appreciating their kind invitation.

The Ministers of Water Resources, Sulaiman Adamu; Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, and Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity), Garba Shehu, were also in the delegation.

Maimuna, the bride, was given out in marriage by Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State while the groom, Muhammed Daha, who is also the Dan Buram Daura, was represented by Magajin Garin Daura, Alhaji Musa Umar.

In a homily, the Chief Imam of the Kano Central Mosque, Prof.Sani Zahraddeen, who contracted the marriage at the Palace of the Emir of Kano, admonished the couple to respect one another and warned the community against mistreatment of women. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ibukun Emiola

The United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) has trained lawmakers in Ekiti and other officials on conflict resolution, budget formulation, monitoring and reporting.

The programme which held at the Premier Hotel, Ibadan was organised by the UNDP to complement the Federal Governments efforts at enhancing peace and insecurity in the country.

Mr Mathew Alao, the Team Lead, Governance, Peace and Security Unit, UNDP Nigeria, said the essence of the training was to also ensure cooperation among the stakeholders in the state especially, the executive and legislators.

Alao, who represented the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, Mr Lealam Dinku, said the workshop was to also formulate development agenda for the state.

You will observe that most of the development programmes are done under the table and by the ministry without the due consultation with the people.

And, this has engendered violence in so many communities and we thought it fit that engaging the government to be more open is the best way to reduce violence at the community level.

Particularly on issues of development programming, and that is the essence of bringing the Ekiti state legislators and some executive members as well as civil society to this forum, he said.

He said that UNDP also had other programmes to help in managing conflicts among the populace which include livelihood schemes for the victims of violence, early warning and response mechanism.

Others, he said were ICT based warning platforms that anybody could send a message to and there will be an immediate response to such a crisis.

He said that the organisation also helps in capacity building for security agencies to partner with the state government to manage the platforms created by the UNDP on conflict resolution.

Alao called on political leaders to actively engage the youth who served them in the process of getting to power.

He decried a situation where the youths are used by politicians and left to become tools in the hands of those who will use them to cause trouble in the society.

It is appalling, this cannot help the society, a child of school age should go to school, a person of working age should find something to work.

And, that is why UNDP is also partnering not only on this area, but by getting these youths out to train and teach them on life-long empowerment schemes, that is the way out.

And the issue of drug proliferation is also there,Alao said.

According to him, this is one of the ways to nip conflicts in the bud, adding that people must be constructively engaged.

We must find something for people to do, and we must continue the campaign not by mere saying it, but in reality.

As a political office holder, you must have a responsibility, people that you use during the campaign, you must have a way of supporting them and making them human.

You must make them self-dependent and self-reliant, that way they will serve you better, he said.

Responding on behalf of the legislative arm, the Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon, Funminiyi Afuye, commended the UNDP for organising the workshop.

You will agree with me that for any meaningful development to occur in any society, efforts must be intensified towards prevention of crisis and resolution of conflicts of any nature in such societies.

Business thrives only in societies where peace avails. Nigeria in recent times is faced with a lot of crises resulting in insecurity thereby being a clog in the wheel of the countrys development.

Hence, this sensitisation workshop involving the critical stakeholders and civil society groups in Ekiti State is a relevant and timely intervention which will give a strategic direction to the state.

Also for the executive, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning in Ekiti, Mr Femi Ajayi, lauded UNDP for initiating the programme which he said would help in conflict prevention and inter-agency cooperation in the state.

Ajayi said UNDP had also initiated a conflict prevention and peace building programme to help build a society free of conflicts and chaos through strengthening national capacity for prevention.

He said the agency did this through building the skills of stakeholders in programme development, budget processes, monitoring and reporting for all inclusiveness and closer collaboration between them.

NAN reports that the programme with the theme: Implementation of Conflict Sensitive Approach to Development Programme, Budget Formulation, Monitoring and Reporting was alsoattended by Civil Society Organisations. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Emmanuel Afonne

The immediate past Traditional Ruler of Aro Kingdom and custodian of its heritage, His Majesty, Mazi Ogbonnaya Okoro, also known as Eze Aro of Arochukwu, will be buried on Monday, April 5.

The Chairman of Aro National Rites of Passage Committee, Prof. Okoro Ijoma, in a statement after a virtual meeting on the funeral arrangement revealed that the burial rites of the late traditional ruler would be an opportunity to celebrate his legacies.

We are mourning in one form, and in another form, we are celebrating him and Arochukwu, which he represented and still represents.

During the reign of 25 years, he was a shining light in many ways and Arochukwu has a lot to show for it.

Ijoma while commending the late King for using his influence positively for the development of Arochukwu during his reign, described him as a leader who used every opportunity to lobby for the welfare of his immediate community.

Throughout his reign, he made contacts to reach Abuja and all government officials that he came across, on how to improve the quality of road network of Aro.

Under him, an imposing civic center was completed for you to know that Mazi was a great ruler and the event of next week is to celebrate him, Aro and what traditional ruler in Aro stands for, he said.

Before ascending the throne, Mazi Ogbonnaya Okoro, who trained in the United Kingdom as a Medical Laboratory Scientist, was pioneer head of Department of Laboratory Technology at the University of Nigeria Teaching hospital (UNTH), Enugu.

He retired as the Chief Medical Laboratory Scientist at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) in 1988 to ascend the throne.

Eze Ogbonnaya Okoro ascended the famous Eze Aro throne in 1995 and his reign witnessed tremendous transformation of the Kingdom and growth in inter-communal relations.

Among other positions, Eze Ogbonnaya Okoro was a first-class traditional ruler and occupied one of the ancient traditional stools in Nigeria and was the custodian of the Aro heritage worldwide.

His burial is expected to climax a week-long passage of rites for him which kicks off on April 2.

The climax of the funeral rites would be held on April 5, at the Arochukwu Civic and Cultural Center, Oror, Arochukwu by 10 a.m.(NAN)

EMAF/IAA

Source: NAN News

According to thestudy from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNECSO), One year into COVID: Prioritising education recovery to avoid a generational catastrophe, even before thepandemic the number of childrenlacking basic reading skillswas on a downward curve.

A UNESCO statement said in 2020, instead of 460 million children experiencing reading difficulties, that number jumped to 584 million. The rise of more than 20 per cent,wiped out two decades of education gains, the agency said.

Since the beginning of the coronaviruspandemic, complete or partial closures have disrupted schooling for an average of 25 weeks, says the report, with the highest learning losses projected to be intheLatin America and Caribbeanregion, andinCentral and Southern Asia.

While the reportfinds that a return to the pre-pandemic pathwaymay take adecade, it underscores that recovery could occur by 2024 if exceptional efforts aremadetoprovideremedialclassesand catch-up strategies.

According to new data from ajoint survey conducted by UNESCO and the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF),only a quarter of students are benefiting fromremedial education.

While the number of students impacted by school closures has not significantly changed since the beginning of the pandemic,countries are increasingly taking measures tokeep schools at least partiallyopen.

The report shows that schools are currently fully open in 107 countries, mostly in Africa, Asia andEurope, serving400 millionpre-primaryto secondarylearners.

Meanwhile, school closures in 30 countries are impacting some 165 million students.

At the same time, schools in 70 countries are partially open in various regions, for some grades, or with reduced in-person attendance affectingabout two-thirds of theglobalstudent population,or nearly one billionlearners.(PANA/NAN)

Source: NAN News

The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday told journalists that the UN-backed vaccine initiative, COVAX, has distributed more than 32 million vaccines to 61 countries in just one month, declaring that COVAX works.

At the beginning of the year, WHO chief, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, had called for countries to work together, so that all States could begin vaccinating within the first 100 days of 2021.

177 countries and economies have started vaccination, he saidat a regular press briefing, adding that with just 15 days left before the 100 days are up, 36 countries are still waiting for vaccines so they can start inoculating health workers and older people.

A UN statement said of those countries, 16 are scheduled to receive their first doses from COVOAXwithin the next 15 days, leaving 20 nations waiting.

COVAX is ready to deliver, but we cant deliver vaccines we dont have, said Dr. Tedros, pointing to the distorting effect of export bans and vaccine diplomacy, which have caused gross inequities in supply and demand.

Moreover, increased demand for shots, and changes of national strategy, have led to delays in securing tens of millions of doses that COVAX was counting on.

COVAX needs 10 million doses immediately, he said. While acknowledging that contributing doses is a tough political choice, he asserted that there are plenty of countries who can afford to donate doses with little disruption to their own vaccination plans.

Currently, many countries who had invested in COVAX in good faith have become frustrated with bilateral deals that have left the vaccine initiative short, said Dr. Tedros.

WHO and our partners are continuing to work around the clock to find ways to increase production and secure doses, he added, saying that four more inoculations were being assessed for WHO Emergency Use Listing at least one of which may be approved by the end of April.

In related coverage, five UN agencies on Friday, advocated for prioritising COVID-19vaccinations for seafarers and aircrews who have been severely impacted by pandemic-imposed travel restrictions.

Seafarers and aircrew need to be protected through vaccination as soon as possible to facilitate their safe movement across borders, said the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Labour Organization (ILO), International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and WHO, in a jointstatement.

As such, they called upon countries that have not done so to designate seafarers and aircrew as key workers.

We also call on governments to identify and prepare for the challenges of COVID-19 vaccination of seafarers and aircrew, particularly for seafarers spending long periods of time away from their home country, they added.

(PANA/NAN)

Source: NAN News

By George Odok
A Nigerian Industrialist and Chief Executive Officer of KAM Holdings, Dr Kamaru Yusuf, has performed the ground breaking ceremony of the Open and Distance Learning Centre in the University of Calabar.

At the ceremony on Saturday in Calabar, Yusuf said that the gesture was part of his contribution to the development of education as well as the university community.

According to him, the building will also serve as his Corporate Social Responsibility to the University.

Yusuf was conferred with an honorary degree in Business Management by the university at its 34th convocation ceremony of the institution.

The objective of KAM Holdings is to build our youths in the area of learning, science and technology, he said.

Speaking earlier, Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Florence Obi, said that the Centre would further drive academic excellence in the University.

When we met Dr Yusuf, we presented our challenges to him that we want to start Open and Distance Learning Centre.

The centre will open access to education to many more Nigerians who do not have the opportunity to come and do face to face contact in the University.

In order to meet the benchmark of the National University Commission, you must have a stand-alone building labelled as Open and Distance Learning Centre for the Commission to accredit the programme for learning.

It is my pleasure to have this great Nigerian industrialist in our University today for this ground breaking ceremony and for partnering with us in our development strides, she said.

Source: NAN News

By Harrison Arubu
The U.S. Department of State has delivered a subtle warning to would-be irregular migrants from Africa, who may be drawing inspiration from the crisis at the countrys southern border.

A spokesperson of the department, Mr Jalina Porter, who gave the warning, on Friday, said anyone seeking to enter the U.S. should do so through legal pathways.

The Biden administration certainly prioritises responsible and safe migration practices, and this doesnt preclude anyone, whether youre in the Northern Triangle or Central America or whether you are from Africa.

So, we say to those in Africa who are looking at whats going on along the border that the border is and always has been closed to irregular migration.

Anyone seeking to come to the U.S. should seek to do so via legal pathways, she told reporters at a news briefing.

Porter was responding to a question on whether there would be consideration for asylum seekers from Africa in President Joe Biden administrations proposed immigration reforms.

A part of the question centred on irregular African immigrants already in the U.S. watching the situation at the southern border and hoping to get some relief.

The Biden administration is currently grappling with an influx of illegal migrants, mostly from Mexico, at the southern border.

Reports say an average of 5,000 unauthorised migrants are crossing into the country though that route every day, posing a huge logistical and humanitarian challenge to the new administration.

U.S. authorities are reportedly allowing about half of the migrants to stay in the country and seek asylum.

After taking office in January, Biden reversed a policy by his predecessor, Donald Trump, of turning back unaccompanied children.

Now, the government processes them and places them with sponsoring families in the U.S., according to the BBC.

Critics are blaming these new policies for the surge in illegal migration, the BBC reported.

Source: NAN News

By Muhammad Lawal
The Kebbi State Government in collaboration with Word Bank will expend 43 million dollars to build six modern markets and construction of rural roads across the state.

Alhaji Abdullahi Maigari, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, disclosed this to Newsmen in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital on Friday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the construction work is under the Kebbi State Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (Kebbi RAMP) six years project.

Maigari said the modern markets, to be erected in different parts of the state, would consist of shops, storage facilities, wire houses and toilets among others.

He said the markets would be sited in Gunki in Argungu Local Government, Bunza in Bunza LG, Zuru in Zuru LG, Yauri in Yauri LG, Samanaji in Koko-Bese LG and Dodoru in Gwandu LG.

The commissioner said: This is to inform our people that the implementation of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Programme (RAMP) has now come to full swing in Kebbi State.

This is achieved in the state largely due to the commitment and dogedness of His Excellency, the Governor of Kebbi State, Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu.

According to him, the state government had fulfilled all conditions for the implementation of the programme in Kebbi.

To this effect, the rehabilitation and improvement of 225 kilometers of rural roads distributed across the state will be done as first phase and within two years of commencement of this programme.

This will be from the 450 kilometers of rural roads already earmarked, he noted.

Maigari added that there would also be other road construction work in the state consisting of routine maintenance of about 700 kilometres cutting across all the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.

The commissioner assured that dilapidated roads would also be repaired, regraded, filled with quality laterite materials and construction of culverts and river crossing drainage structure.

This work will cover reconstruction and construction of new culverts for connectivity to farmlands and markets, rehabilitation of 200 kilometers of some selected roads across the state and upgrade of 125 kilometers of road from laterite road to asphalt road, he said.

Source: NAN News

By Philip Yatai
The OCP Africa Fertiliser Nigeria Ltd. on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with three research institutes in Nigeria to solve soil fertility problems and boost wheat production.

The MoU was signed at the Inception Workshop organised by OCP Africa to inaugurate the Soil Mapping and Fertility Evaluation for Formulation and Validation of Wheat Specific Fertilizer in Nigeria project.

Mr Caleb Usoh, OCP Africa Nigeria Deputy Managing Director and Country Manager, said at the event in Kaduna, that the project would address the problem of soil and its effect on wheat production.

Usoh, who was represented by the organisations Business Development Manager, Nigeria, Mr Akintunde Akinwande, said that OCP Africa had signed a similar MoU with the Nigeria Institute of Soil Science.

Today, we are here to sign another MoU with three prominent research institutions in the country to collectively proffer solutions to soil fertility vis--vis wheat production.

We are partnering with Lake Chad Research Institute, Maiduguri, with a mandate to improve wheat production in Nigeria and the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR

By Bukola Adewumi
The United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) and Global Environmental Facility(GEF) have resolved to improve food security in the country.

Ms Rhoda Dia, Project Manager Resilient Food Security Project, said this on Saturday in Abuja while inaugurating the executive members of the newly formed Gender Sensitive Advocacy Network to foster food security.

The inauguration followed a two-day national workshop for establishment of national level multi-stakeholders gender sensitive platform.

Dia called on the new executives to ensure that they achieve the nations food productivity goal.

She appealed to them to work wholeheartedly to improve livelihoods of the most vulnerable women, youths and people living with disabilities towards giving agriculture a voice.

She said that UNDP-GEF had worked with various organisations both at the local and national levels, adding that it was willing to work with the executives to enhance agricultural productivity and food value chains across Nigeria.

According to her, UNDP-GEF believes that no country can develop without empowering women and protecting their rights to save lives and rebuild livelihood.

Hajia Salamatu Garba, the newly elected president and founder, Women Farmers Advanced Network (WOFAN) commended UNDP-GEF for the initiative.

She promised to ensure that gender related matters in agriculture were well taken care of to achieve adequate food security.

She also promised to work with other stakeholders and partners to ensure the plight of women, youths regarding agriculture in the country were addressed.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that nine members were elected and inaugurated into different positions at the event.

Source: NAN News

By Joshua Olomu
Dr Akinwumi Adesina, 2017 winner of the World Food Prize and current President of African Development Bank, alongside other World Food Prize laureates, have called for United States intervention to end global hunger by 2030.

In an open letter to President Joe Biden, a group of 24 scientists, economists, researchers and past winners of the World Food Prize, including Adesina, described Americas role in tackling the scourge of global hunger as foundational.

They, therefore, urged President Biden to re-establish Americas global leadership to end hunger, play a leadership role in the upcoming UN Food Systems Summit and other global initiatives.

The World Food Prize laureates urged Biden to refresh US evidenced-based policy and investments to achieve the goal of ending hunger.

They added that he should expand the highly successful USAID Feed the Future Initiative and Innovation Laboratories, to reach more countries.

As the world staggers out of COVID-19 and into the light of 2021, we seek to illuminate our collective path towards 2030.

We urge the Biden-Harris Administration to focus on the promise to Build Back Better in transforming our food systems.

The United States leadership in ending global hunger is imperative and must be backed by bold actions and your personal commitment for the U.S. to engage on major global initiatives.

The opportunity for renewed U.S. leadership to transform food systems has never been greater. The appetite of partners around the world to work with the U.S in both the public and private sectors is strong.

We urge the Biden-Harris Administration to seize this moment and invest in development and cooperation to achieve zero hunger by 2030.

Americas leadership on getting food systems right will inspire and embolden others to join forces to end hunger, counter climate change, generate jobs, and promote responsible stewardship of the environment.

Supporting economic growth globally leads to increased trade for American entities, increases stability in conflict areas, builds bonds of solidarity and trust that are the bedrock of diplomacy, and alleviates the suffering of the most vulnerable.

These outcomes reflect long-held, treasured American values and offer opportunities to realize global aspirations. the letter reads.

The World Food Prize laureates recalled that in 2009 post-financial crisis and as a result of the LAquila Declaration, the U.S. announced the .5 billion Feed the Future Initiative with bipartisan support.

They noted that the initiative helped to reverse decades-long declines in funding for food and agriculture, around the world, which also prompted collective global investments of billion and triggered progress for hundreds of millions.

They cited a recent Ceres2030 report that says the world could end global hunger by 2030 with an extra annual investment of billion, a small fraction of the worlds COVID mitigation investment.

The World Food Prize was created by Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Norman Borlaug, in 1986 to recognize scientists and others who had improved the quality and availability of food.

The sum of ,000 prize is awarded annually by the Des Moines, Iowa-based World Food Prize Foundation, which receives support from more than 80 companies, foundations and individuals.

In 2017, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, current President of the African Development Bank Group and Nigerias former Minister of Agriculture, won the World Food Prize.

For millions of poor people around the world, the risk of dying from hunger is greater than dying from COVID-19.

Without food, medicines dont work. Food and nutrition are the vaccines against hunger. Lets vaccinate the world against hunger, Adesina said.

Source: NAN News

By Philip Yatai
The Nigerian Breweries Plc (NB) has received the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service (KADIRS) 2020 Highest Taxpayer, Pay-As-You-Earn Award.

The Executive Chairman, KADIRS, Dr Zaid Abubakar, described Nigerian Breweries at the agencys 2020 Grand Dinner and Award Night, in Kaduna on Friday, as one of the committed taxpayers in the state.

Abubakar urged other corporate organisations to emulate Nigerian Breweries and other committed taxpayers in the state by paying the needed tax voluntarily and as and when due.

The essence of the award was to motivate taxpayers in the state to continue to pay their taxes voluntarily so that the state government will continue to deliver quality services to the people, he explained.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Mr Murtala Dabo, who presented the award to the Brewery Manager in the state, Mr Abbay Ajayi, congratulated the company for being a worthy partner.

Receiving the awards, Ajayi thanked KADIRS for recognizing the efforts of the company in fulfilling its tax obligation and contributing to the development of the state.

Ajayi said that the company has made tax and duty payment of approximately N330.5 billion over the last five years in the country.

He said that the Nigerian Breweries has paid a total of N1.4 billion to Kaduna state government as PAYE and levies, among others between 2018 and 2020.

We have equally paid N315 million to Kaduna State Water Cooperation as water bills from 2016 to date.

We have so far invested N45 billion in Kaduna state from inception to date and planned to invest N7.0 billion in the state in 2021 alone.

Kaduna has been a home for all of us at the Nigerian Breweries since the 1960s and we are still thriving due to the conducive business environment that have made Kaduna more home than any other, he said.

He reiterated Nigerian Breweries continued investment and support to the development agenda of the Kaduna state government and Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a total of 23 taxpayers were honoured as part of efforts to encourage voluntary tax compliance and boost revenue generation for the development of the state.

Source: NAN News

By Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma
First Bank of Nigeria Ltd. has reinforced commitment to women empowerment with FirstGem for economic growth and development.

FirstBank Deputy Managing Director, Mr Francis Shobo, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

He said that the bank seeks to drive financial development and the empowerment of women through gender engineered programmes.

Our FirstGem account is specifically designed to meet the financial needs of women as it offers unrivalled services that empower women to do more and achieve more.

At FirstBank, we recognise that promoting female entrepreneurship and empowerment is crucial to a better society, Shobo said.

He said that the bank had concluded arrangements to the fourth edition of its annual FirstGem Conference, tagged FirstGem 4.0.

The FirstGem 4.0 is the icing on the cake in the streams of initiatives and activities we have organised and participated in March as we join the world to celebrate women for the indelible roles they play in our society.

Through these activities, we spearhead the call on the need to promote women inclusiveness in the country as the role they play towards the continued socio-economic growth and development of any given society cannot be overemphasised.

The 2021 event is themed The Art of Negotiation and convened to provide women with insights on the secrets of wealth management, investment and savings, he added.

He said that the banks Chairman, Mrs Ibukun Awosika, would be the guest speaker at event slated for March 31.

According to him, FirstBank SME customers will be given the opportunity to pitch their business idea and stand a chance to get N1 million seed fund to kick-start their business.

He said that the business ideas would be judged by the following criteria; Originality, Feasibility, Good presentation skills and Sustainability.

The product, FirstGem, is an account designed specifically to meet the needs of women, aged 18 years and above.

The product is targeted at a broad spectrum of women, working professionals, entrepreneurs or market women to promote their business through an array of benefits.

FirstGem account owners have access to mouth-watering discounts at merchant outlets (spas, salons, grocery stores) that offer lifestyle products and services.

Since the product launch in October 2016, the bank has implemented various activities targeted at promoting female empowerment, impact and influence in the economy.

FirstGem has successfully empowered women in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

Source: NAN News

By Nana Musa
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said improving Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) while not stifling business especially small businesses, was a balance that must be at the heart of policy development, planning and regulation.

Osinbajo said this during the closing of the 19 Joint Planning Board (JPB) meeting with the theme National Development Planning in Nigeria: Issues and Challenges, in Abuja on Friday.

The meeting that started on Wednesday was organised by the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, in collaboration with states ministries of budget, economic planning and other relevant stakeholders.

Osinbajo said the primary purpose of planning the economy was to accelerate growth and development outcomes that would improve the lives of the people.

To be meaningful, our planning processes must lead to tangible outcomes in the form of growth that exceeds population growth, real growth in the sense of growth which creates jobs, opportunities and circumstances for the well-being of the people, Osinbajo said.

He said that it was important when drawing up national plans to take account of the interests of the more vulnerable members of the society.

This is why social investment and social protection are at the heart of the Buhari Administrations policy interventions.

Indeed, top of mind for Mr President is how to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in this decade as we radically re-engineer the productive base of our economy in agriculture, manufacturing, mining and the digital and creative sectors.

The Vice President said that priorities for planning are the structural transformation of the economy from low value-adding activities to high value-adding activities and increased job opportunities for our huge youth population.

According to him, sometimes the implementation failures were due to resource and capacity constraints, but we must also ponder on the possibility that our plans might in some cases, not realistic and not grounded in our objective reality.

In other words, is the lack of implementation due to the fact that our visions and plans have been unduly fanciful.

Osinbajo also said that the outcomes and recommendations would be of immense importance to the ongoing Medium-Term National Development Plans (MTNDP 2021-2025) and Agenda 2050.

I also look forward to the formal presentation of the Report of this Meeting to the National Economic Council (NEC).

The Minister Of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, said that the meeting was to discuss on a new adoptable approach towards formulating effective national plans that would serve as successor to the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) 2017-2020 which ended in December.

Ahmed said that the ERGP was crafted at the wake of the global economy meltdown in 2016 and it was able to pull the country out of recession.

She said that the pandemic impacted on the economy by a wave of recession in 2020 which was short lived by proactive measures put in place by the administration.

She said that the experience calls for an urgent strategy to develop a more resilient and sustainable economic model that could stand the test of time.

The Minister of State, Finance Budget and National Planning, Prince Clement Agba, said that the discussions had been very enriching especially coming at a time that the MTNDP 2021-2025 and Nigeria Agenda 2050 were being developed.

The outlook for the Plan is to ensure that a holistic and robust plan document which enhances synergy and inclusiveness is delivered to Nigerians.

Agba said that contributions, time and efforts dedicated to the various sessions of the programme was immeasurable.

He said that the ministry has harvested invaluable comments, observations and recommendations that would further enrich the MTNDP 2021-2025.

Also, the approach for the Plan as you may be aware is a clear departure from the usual norm because all relevant stakeholders were engaged at every level of the process.

I assure all of us that the Ministry, working closely with you, will finalize and launch the plan within the shortest possible time.

My appeal is that all stakeholders including the MDAs, states and organised private sector should ensure that the objectives of the plan are achieved.

The plan is also tied to other regional development plans such as SDGs, AU-2063 and ECOWAS Vision Document, Agba said.

Source: NAN News

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Nigerian Army has dismissed reports that its troops of an unidentified battalion under Operation Lafiya Dole protested over alleged unpaid operational allowances as well as obsolete equipment in Maiduguri.

The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Yerima, in a statement on Friday, said the media reports were unsubstantiated and did not represent the true situation of the incidents.

Yerima said that what some media reports described as protest was a mild complaints by few soldiers of Mobile Strike Team (MST), deployed for Exercise Tura Takaibango in the frontline of operations.

According to him, at about 3 p.m. on March 25, some of the troops of Mobile Strike Team 10 and 11, who were primed to conduct phase 2 of Exercise TURA TAKAIBANGO in Bama after the first phase of the exercise, raised some concerns.

The concerns were quickly addressed before they were relaunched to the second phase of the operations.

On the issue of obsolete weapons as reported in some media, the position of Army Headquarters is that soldiers have right to demand for proper weapons to prosecute the operations.

However, the Federal Government was making concerted efforts toward deploying new fighting equipment to augment the existing ones in the theater of operation.

The Army wishes to also deny report that any soldier was owned any operational allowances. No soldier was owned any allowance in the theatre, he said.

Army spokesperson gave assurance that Nigerian army would continue to remain focused and determined to perform its constitutional roles and responsibilities professionally in the protection of the sovereignty of Nigeria.

He added that the army was also committed to ensuring the safety of lives and property while clearing the terrorists, their cohorts and collaborators in the country. (NAN)

Source: NAN News