By Naomi Sharang

Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) has trained the Original Inhabitants of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on advocacy and negotiation skills to aid them in the promotion of their cultural rights and values.

Executive Director of the Civil Society Organisation (CSO), Ms Faith Nwadishi, conducted the training in Abuja on Friday, which also featured a presentation on Theatre For Development.

According to Nwadishi, advocacy is a veritable tool used to foster development and change in the society.

We see theatre for drama as a campaign tool and a strategy that we can use to raise awareness concerning the plights of the original inhabitants of the FCT as well as promote the cultural rights and values of the people.

We find it necessary to validate the theatre for development advocacy drama to see if it reflects and tells the story of the indigenous people of the FCT.

This is aimed at promoting the cultural values and rights of the original inhabitants of the FCT through drama and art forms.

She said that the project was implemented from a funding by the McArthur Foundation through chirched which is a two year programme.

In 1976 the Federal Government decided to create the FCT as the capital for Nigeria.

At that time, there were a lot of insinuations that it was a no mans land. But we have found today, that this place is a not a no mans land; there are people who were living here; nine different tribes.

These, she said, included Gwari, Gwandara,Koro, Apo, Bassa, Ganagana, Ebira, among others.

Nwadishi recalled that other issues faced by the inhabitants included the failure of the National Assembly to make provision for the office of a Mayor when the 1999 Constitution was amended.

The lawmakers voted against the nomination of a Minister from the FCT to the Federal Executive Council.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Isaac Aregbesola

Source: NAN News

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya has vowed to bring to justice terrorists behind attack on troops location in Shororo, Niger State.

Yahaya gave the assurance while addressing journalists at Mogadishu Cantonment Jumaat Mosque prayer in commemoration of the Nigerian Army Day Celebration NADCEL 2022 on Friday in Abuja.

He said the terrorists had on Wednesday, ambushed troops in Shiroro while responding to distress call of terrorists attack on a mining site with unspecified number of casualties.

The COAS said that even though the Nigerian army had faced challenges, it was determined to address them towards bestowing a peaceful and secured Nigeria.

He said the celebration of 159 years of existence of the Nigerian army was a time to reflect on its performance.

He added that the army would use the occasion to look back with pride to appreciate the contributions and sacrifices of its officers and soldiers over the years as a key instrument of national unity and security of the country.

159 years of this, is not a small period.

Over the years , we have proven ourselves both in Nigeria and abroad with our competence and skills, commitment and dedication with which we do our jobs.

It is time to appreciate our troops including those who have paid the supreme price in their to ensure Nigeria is secured and remain united.

We will continue to appreciate the support of the president and all those we have supported us.

We have had our challenges, recently in Niger , we had one but we are addressing them. We are not deterred by any challenge from all those criminals .

As we speak, we are on their trail and we will and I say we will get those criminals in Niger and other areas throughout the country, he said.

The Acting Deputy Director, Islamic Affairs, Army Headquarters Garrison, Lt.-Col. Musa Abbas, who officiated the Jumaat, urged Nigerians to learn to tolerate one another religiously, socially and otherwise towards achieving their full potentials.

Abbas added that Nigerians must be truthful to one another and strive to live in peace with one another.

He said the special Jumaat service was anchored on the promotion of national unity through religious tolerance peaceful coexistence.

There is no way for us as a nation to reach the greatest height we wish for without tolerating one another; we have to tolerate one another religiously, socially.

We have to tolerate one another in all ramifications and we cant achieve that if we are not sincere with one another, truthful to one another, we must strive and live peaceful with one another, he added.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Jummaat prayer was part of activities lined up to mark the NADCEL 2022 slated to take place in Owerri, Imo form July 1 to July 6.

There is also going to be interdenominational church service across army formations nationwide on Sunday as well as humanitarian activities in all operational areas nationwide. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Source: NAN News

By Olasunkanmi Onifade

International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), FCT chapter on Friday called on prospective voters to eschew all forms of electoral violence and being used as touts during and after the elections.

The Programme Officer of FIDA, Esther Ikenye, made the call at the community sensitisation for Kori and Kofai communities in Bwari Area Council of the FCT supported by Action Aid under the We-You Pro Project.

She also called on all Nigerians to make use of the extended continuous voters registration opportunity to get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) .

The purpose of the sensitisation is to educate them on continue voters registration exercise and key provisions under the Electoral Act.

And, also to promote the inclusion of women, youths and PWD in key electoral and governance processes across the FCT ahead of the 2023 general elections, Ikenye said.

She said that the simplified version of the Electoral Act was given to members of the communities for them to enhance their knowledge on voters education and their rights.

Ikenye, however, advised women, youth and PWD to support their counterparts to change current narratives.

The Programme officer of FIDA, Chioma Okoye-Chukwuma, said FIDA provided legal support to female political candidates who wish to challenge election results where there were clear cases of irregularities that denied them the mandate.

She said FIDA also served to increase the participation and representation of women in decision making and governance.

Okoye-Chukwuma said members of the communities should ensure they get their PVC and support women, youths and PWDs who want to take leadership positions.
The Secretary of the District Head of Dutse Alhaji, Mr Hamzat Zakari, said the programme was educative and interactive as it sensitises the people on the civic rights and continuous voters education.

We were told to ensure our PVCs were in good condition, we were told the procedures to follow if any ones PVC was damaged in order to vote for candidate of their choice.

This is the right time to change the negative in the society by our votes, he said. (NAN)
Edited by Isaac Aregbesola

Source: NAN News

By Adebola Adegoke

The European Union (EU) has inaugurated the Team Europe Initiative (TEI) Nigeria Green Economy project aimed at stimulating sustainable climate-smart agriculture and renewable energy for economic growth and diversification.

The EU ambassador to Nigeria and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Ms Samuela Isopi, unveiled the project at the 8th EU-Nigeria Business Forum tagged: Nigeria and the New Economy on Friday, in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that members of the TEI Green Economy Project are: Denmark, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

According to the ambassador, the TEI Green Economy consists of 60 projects of different nature to be executed across the agricultural and energy sectors by 2027 and is valued at 1.3 billion Euros.

Isopi said the project was aimed at improving the competitive advantage of Nigerias agriculture and energy sectors, with emphasis on access to clean and renewable energy as well as job creation, skills and capacity development.

She added that the project was a result of collaborative efforts with the EU and member states, private and public sectors and the development financial institutions.

She assured continued support for the Nigerian government in the implementation of its economic diversification policies and new partnerships with the private sector.

In line with the EUs Green Deal, the Green Economy Initiative will support the Nigerian governments efforts to diversify the economy by combining support to enhance access to renewable energy for productive uses and boosting the development of the agricultural sector.

Collectively, the actions will help Nigeria attain the SDGs and put the country on a sustainable development path.

The initiative will offer support in areas of expertise and strong European contribution such as climate-smart agriculture, technological and digital solutions, vocational training, employment and entrepreneurship creation as well as access to sustainable energy, she said.

She said the TEI would forge new partnerships with member states interested in supporting Nigerias circular economy efforts.

Ms Inga Stefanowicz, EU Team Leader, Green and Digital Economy in Nigeria, said the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Development Financial Institutions would assist various players in the value-chains in the agricultural and energy sectors.

By combining EIBs investment facilities with the European Development Finance Institutions and EU member states, the flagship initiative will create space for EU trade and investment while generating job opportunities for Nigerias youth.

In agriculture, support will be provided to promote and increase climate-smart agricultural production and value-added creation in selected value chains to address food insecurity, increase agricultural exports, tackle skills gaps and create jobs.

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and state institutions will be supported in the delivery of its mandate, and in particular, development of agricultural education, integrating ICT and technical and vocational education and training, she said.

Stefanowicz added that field interventions would concentrate on creating positive spillover effects through the value chains including smallholder farmers, aggregators, processors, manufacturers, wholesalers, transporters and retailers.

She said interventions in the energy sector would include capacity building, policy dialogue and advisory services with the ministry of power and its agencies, in developing an enabling policy environment, and adoption and implementation of measures.

They will concentrate on effective delivery of the Ministrys mandate including the Paris Agreement Commitment, Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) targets as well as the development of new energy access business models with the private sector.

She added that the team would work with the Federal and State governments to address obstacles to ease of doing business and investment.

Dr Mohammad Abubakar, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, lauded the initiative, adding that the agricultural sector had the largest potential to diversify the economy and provide the broad-based growth necessary for development as a new growth engine.

Abubakar, who was represented by Dr Emmanuel Olaleye, Director, Agri-Business and Market Development, said the agricultural sector was essential to job creation, securing food supply, lowering inflation and expanding foreign exchange earnings.

He said the Federal Government would continue to prioritise activities in the agriculture sector through targeted policies to attract investments, in line with the diversification drive and achieving food security.

According to the minister, some of the policies include the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation policy, National Agricultural Resilience Framework (NARF, 2014), Agricultural Promotion Policy, (APP, 2016-2020), and National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP, 2019-2025), among others.

He also emphasised the need for farmers and investors to tap into opportunities of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) for the country to become Africas largest producer of crops like Maize, Rice, and Soybeans.

The ministry has identified what needs to be done to achieve this by promoting the use of a better variety of seeds that are high yielding, disease-resistant, and adaptive quality.

We also seek to promote mechanised production through the Green Imperative that is government-enabled but private-sector driven that will reduce human effort and enhance productivity while removing drudgery in the farming operation and strengthen value chain linkages.

Others include increasing investments in commodity exchanges; aggregation and backward/forward integration; supporting agricultural research and development; and reducing the risks associated with farming by de-risking agricultural productivity, he said.

He solicited the support of the EU and the EU countries to assist with capacity building for Nigeria and its companies to prepare proposals to access the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

EU companies and their Nigerian counterparts should take advantage of available GCF to attract Green Projects to Nigeria.

Execution of green projects will contribute to the reduction in Green House Gas (GHG) emissions as envisaged in the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) strategy, he said.

Markus Wauschkuhn, Germanys Cluster Coordinator for Sustainable development projects in Nigeria, said Germany would continue to contribute to Nigerias competitive advantage through the Nigerian Competitiveness Project.

According to him, the project focuses on improving Nigerias export potential in the area of ginger, tomatoes, chili, leather and garment and other resources to Europe. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Salif Atojoko

Source: NAN News

By Cecilia Ologunagba

The UN Deputy Secretary General, Amina Muhammed, has tested negative for COVID-19 after testing positive for the virus some days ago.

UN Spokesperson, Mr Stphane Dujarric, disclosed this at a news conference on Friday at UN headquarters in New York.

Mohammed had earlier announced the development on her Twitter handle on Tuesday, saying: I have tested positive for COVID-19.

Grateful to be one of the privileged to have been vaccinated as I think of the millions still without protection. Let us continue to push for vaccines leaving no one behind.

Happy to continue online in isolation, my full commitment to the #TransformingEducation pre-summit.

Mohammed was supposed to attend the summit of the Transforming Education programme organised by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) before she discovered her status in spite of being vaccinated.

Dujarric said as we told you earlier, the Deputy Secretary-General tested positive for COVID-19.

In addition to cancelling her in-person activities in Paris, she will no longer travel to Lisbon, for the closing of the Ocean Conference.

She is, however, expected back in the office on Tuesday, as we understood she has tested negative a short while ago, which is good news, he said.

The UN correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mohammed is slated to meet with the Bayelsa Governor, Douye Diri on Wednesday.

Diri is in the U.S. on economic and cultural mission to two states of New York and New Jersey. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Chidinma Agu/Idris Abdulrahman

Source: NAN News

By George Odok
Activities at the Calabar Port were boosted on Thursday as a general cargo vessel berthed with 204 heavy-duty trucks, 22 cubic metres of pipes and other containers.

Speaking with newsmen on Friday in Calabar after the berthing of the vessel, the Port Manager, Mr Festus Olumati, said this was coming three years after a ship berthed there last.

The manager said that Calabar Port was still viable and of economic benefit to the state and to Nigeria.

Olumati said that the Calabar Port was safe for berthing, hence the need for customers to patronise it to clear their general containers.

The significance of the berthing of this vessel is to tell the world that Calabar Port is active and working. The rumour going round that nothing is happening in Calabar Port is fake.

The length of this vessel is 190 metres, and this has never happened in recent times at Calabar Port.

The cargo on board is 204 trucks, 22 cubic meters of general cargo, especially pipes and we also have some containers in it.

In the past three years, it has never been like this; we are happy to tell the world that we are receiving a cargo vessel that we have not had in the past three years, Olumati said.

He said the berthing of the ship was in line with the Nigerian Ports Authoritys (NPA) resolve to revamp the port to attract customers, adding that it would generate employment for Calabar residents.

Olumati added that more than 50 persons were supporting the shipping company in the discharge of the trucks and the containers.

In his remarks, Mr Edward Akpan, General Manager of the terminal operator used in the berthing, said that the vessel sailed from Singapore.

Akpan noted that the owners of the cargo consider Calabar Port as a preferred terminal based on the support given to them over the years.

As a terminal operator, we woo our customers by giving them some incentives to berth at Calabar Port.

Our customers are satisfied with our mode of operations and I want to appreciate NPA for its continuous support for the terminals.

When vessels berth at Calabar Port, the owners are always here to ensure that their cargo is not dented and they have been so amazed with recommendations on our path for jobs well done, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there was beehive of activities at the port during the discharge of the trucks and the containers. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Chidinma Agu/Alli Hakeem

Source: NAN News

By Olaide Ayinde

Bauchi State has emerged the overall North-East zonal winner in the ongoing Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)s Zonal annual Science Quiz Competition.

Announcing the results, Mr Tayo Sanni, the National Consultant for the NNPC competition, said Bauchi state, which was represented in the competition by a 13-year old Mukhtar Abdul-Ghanee of Sunshine International School, became victorious.

He said that the SS2 science student scored 50 points to defeat his closest contestant, Abdulrahaman Saad from Taraba state who scored 40 points.

Sanni revealed that Borno State took the third position with 35 points while Adamawa and Gombe states emerged the fourth position with both states scoring 30 points each as Yobe got only 20 points.

According to him, Bauchi, Taraba and Borno states would go to Abuja for the finals of the competition, adding that N100,000 grant had been approved by NNPC to all the six participants at the Zonal level.

Earlier, Mr Garba Muhammad, The Ground General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, congratulated the various schools and their industrious students who represented their states in the zonal contest.

He said over the years, NNPC had made intervention in the education and capacity development areas, adding that with the signing into law, the Petroleum Industry Act by President Muhammadu Buhari, impetus had been given to the corporation to increase its impact in the lives of all Nigerians.

It has become more important than ever to groom a pool of highly trained youths who will be available to take up key positions in the company and in the Nigerian energy sector in the years to come.

It is for this reason that NNPCs commitment to encouraging science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, which is the focus of the NNPC National Science Quiz Competition, has become stronger than ever, he said.

Represented by Mr Aliyu Abdullahi, an Officer from Group Public Affairs Division, NNPP, Muhammad appreciated the Bauchi Government and the teachers of the host school for their commitment and support which made the competition a successful one.

In his address, Bauchi state Commissioner for Education, Mr Aliyu Tilde who was represented by Mrs Wulne Buba, Director, Quality Assurance from the ministry, appreciated NNPC for the sponsorship of the science oriented competition.

He assured that it would encourage students to work hard in science as they now lived in a technological world.

He prayed for the three participants to represent the zone at the national level and come out in flying colours in the finals. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Idris Abdulrahman

Source: NAN News

Election

Abuja, July 1, 2022 (NAN) Mr Sunny Ofehe, the governorship candidate of Youth Progressive Party (YPP) in Delta, has said that he will make the state seventh largest economy in the sub-Saharan Africa, if elected to office.

Ofehe said this on Friday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

The candidate, who decried alleged waste of public fund in Delta by past administrations, described the state as rich in terms of human, natural and other potential.

Delta is supposed to be the seventh largest economy in sub-Saharan Africa, if our true potential is harnessed in a way our people can benefit from the God-given natural resources that we have.

But unfortunately, that is not the case. But if elected to office as a governor; I will ensure that this is achieved, he said.

Ofehe said due to its highest number of higher institutions in the country; Delta is endowed with robust human capital potential which he said he would turn to wealth as a governor.

He added that the state created in the 90s had not fulfilled its full potential as witnessed in decay of infrastructure, poor health delivery system and bad road networks.

Delta has the highest number of tertiary institutions in the country which therefore means that it boosts of human capital development.

But Delta today is a shame. Its existing factories are dilapidated, there are bad roads everywhere. If it rains just for 30 minutes; the capital city is always flooded.

The state was created in the 90s and what we see in that state is a complete collapse of system and institution; and this is why I am offering myself to serve so that all those systemic failures can be corrected, he said.

He promised to check the tide of insecurity in the state, create an enabling environment for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and create jobs for the unemployed youths.

I believe that with my exposure internationally and the contacts which I have built over the last 26 years I have stayed in Europe, I can comfortably increase the FDI portfolio coming to the state.

Also my experience within the Civil Society Orgnisation will help to boost their participation in the day-to-day governance of our people,

He promised to encourage private sector participation to bring back the moribund companies in the state; adding that his major focus will be agriculture.

He said this became imperative due to the need to make food affordable and available to residents of the state and make it export hub of agricultural produce.

My major focus will be agriculture. There is the need for us to go back and invest hugely in agriculture because we need to make food affordable and available for everyone.

This will come in a way that we will become the export hub of agricultural produce. We have mangroves, flatlands and arable lands and everything you need for agricultural involvements, he added.

Other areas he promised to invest in are: primary healthcare, free medicare and security among others. (NAN)

Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz

Source: NAN News

By Angela Atabo

Bola Ahmed Tinubu Intellectual Coalition (BATIC) on Friday said it would mobilise votes for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu through door to door campaign to guarantee his victory in 2023.

Mr Iyiola Olayiwola, National Director of Administration, BATIC made this known in a statement in Abuja .

Olayiwola said that to achieve its goal, BATIC merged with the Tinubu Support Organisation (TSG) to pull more effort .

The merger between BATIC and TSG is a right step forward.

This also gives high hopes for the election of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to become the next President of Nigeria come 2023.

As the newly appointed National Director of Administration for BATIC, I am more than ready to work tirelessly with my team and the leadership of APC across the nation.

Beyond administrative work, we will campaign door to door across all states in the 774 local government of the Federation for Asiwaju.

According to Olayiwola, the coalition has the structures across the 36 states, including the Federal Capital, to achieve that.

He said that all BATIC Coordinators across the states were more than ready to mobilise the youth for the campaign.

He added that being an indigene of Ibadan and having gained experience from other engagements, the new appointment had positioned him for the big task ahead.

The task is huge but we are equal to the task.

Oyo state is currently being governed by a PDP governor but come 2023, Oyo State will move from a PDP state to APC state.

This is because we now have the mandate to work with the Oyo state APC Governorship Candidate in person of Senator Teslim Folarin and his team, to make sure we recover our state.

Olayiwola said the group would work with the national executives and leaders across all the states to ensure that APC remained relevant beyond 2023. (NAN)(nannews.ng)

Edited by Idris Abdulrahman

Source: NAN News

By Salisu Sani-Idris

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has assured that no registered pilgrim for 2022 Hajj will be left in Nigeria at the end of deadline for transportation of pilgrims.

The Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NAHCON, Alhaji Zikrullah Hassan gave the assurance at a news briefing on the update of the ongoing 2022 Hajj operation, on Thursday in Abuja.

Hassan said that the commission would complete the transportation of the majority of pilgrims on July 3, and finalise it by July 4, n the event of any other person left.

He debunked insinuations in some quarters that not all Nigerian pilgrims would be transported to Saudi Arabia before the deadline for the closure of the Saudi airport.

As you are aware, we contracted an agreement with three airlines namely; Max Air, Azman Air and Flynas, a Saudi Arabia designated Airline.

When the operation started, our counterpart from states were actually not fully prepared probably because of shortness of the notice, so the flights were fluctuating.

The airlines were ready but the pilgrims were actually not ready, however, in the last few days, we have overcome that.

So, by our own arrangements, we expect to finish majority of the flight by July 3, and clean up in the event any other persons by July 4, he said.

The NAHCON boss revealed that the commission had transported about 22,000 Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, adding that the commission was hopefully concluding before the deadline set by Saudi authorities.

In the event there are few ones who are just getting ready, the totality of Nigerian pilgrims will be in Saudi Arabia by July 4.

I may wait till July 5 to be sure that no registered pilgrim will be left in Nigeria.

As you are fully aware, this years Hajj is an emergency one in the sense that it took Saudi Arabia unlike the previous times, to give us short notice to start preparations.

Shortly, few weeks before the month of Ramadan, it was when the Saudi Arabian authority announced that there will be hajj for the International pilgrims, he said.

According to him, it also took them a while before they informed us of what will be the operational framework for conducting this years hajj.

Hitherto, we used to start Hajj preparations by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs to lead Nigerian delegation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

But I guess because of time such formality was dispensed. Essentially, most of the preparations this year were carried out through the e-Track.

e-Track is an online transactions and that is what we did for most transactions, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that no fewer than 43,000 Nigerian pilgrims registered through 36 states.

The Federal Capital Territory Pilgrims welfare boards and licensed tour operators are expected to partake in this years hajj in Saudi Arabia. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Josephine Obute/Grace Yussuf

Source: NAN News