By Oladapo Udom

Nestl Nigeria Plc and the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources have commenced the planting of indigenous trees as a way of preserving the cultural heritage of some communities.

The tree planting projects are part of Nestls activities to mark the 2021 World Environment Day, with the theme as: Ecosystem restoration.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event commenced with a tree planting exercise at the African Church Primary School, Ifako Ijaiye, Lagos State on Friday.

Speaking at the event, Dr Hassan Sanuth, Director, Sanitation Services, Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, said that the programme was important.

This event is established to leave a mega advocacy on the importance of nature in relation to the survival of mankind on earth.

The theme stands for an opportunity for us to reflect on the activities of man on nature and how it has affected the environment negatively.

It opens up possibilities to how we can act to make sure that we improve the situation and restore the environment to serve us better, he said.

The director said that some communities had been named by some indigenous ecosystem like trees, rivers, birds and animals which had been identified and notified to be part of that community.

For instance, Idi Agbon (place of coconut) is named because the founding fathers of this community identified the prevalence of coconut trees in the community.

Whenever they were describing their domain, they would describe it using agbon (coconut) as a way of description thus people ended up naming the community Idi Agbon, he said.

Sanuth said that we had many communities in Lagos State that were named after landmark ecosystem noting that many of the biodiversities had been destroyed by the activities of mankind.

These legacies need to be protected for the future generations so that they will know their origin.

We must ensure that we resuscitate these plants on our communities so that our legacy will not die but live through the future generations.

These programmes is to last for a decade and the government in collaboration with corporate organisations have decided to imbibe these indigenous plants, rivers and animals in the community, he said.

Mrs Edidiong Peters, Public Affairs Specialist, Nestl Nigeria said the day was set aside to draw attention and galvanise action in promoting awareness of the environment.

Peters said safe guarding the environment was a collective responsibility.

It is not meant for the government or the private sectors alone but it is a collective efforts meant for us all.

That is why we are delighted to be collaborating with the Lagos State Environment on this World Environment Day.

The theme for this years celebration is significant because it comes at a time when the environment needs to be restored, she said.

Peters said climate change was one of the greatest challenges facing society today and that a lot needed to be done in combating its negative effects.

Natures own solution is a useful channel in combating climatic change.

The planting of trees is significant not only for the aesthetic values but also for the purification of air around us.

The trees will help us to absorb the carbondioxide and release more oxygen for us, she said.

Peters noted that Nestl remained dedicated to protecting the environment for future generations.

We believe that this is very important and over the years we have taken a lot of actions regarding our sustainability journey.

We have embarked on sustainable packaging, water replenishment activities, water conservation and the education of young children, she said.

Also, Mr Adeyemi Olalekan, Education Secretary, Ifako Ijaye Local Education Authority, said the environment needed to be protected because it was where humans lived and got their food from.

Olalekan said a tree planted around any community would give that area serene look and improve its air quality and aesthetic composition.

I am happy that tree planting is being extended to schools because this will make it easy for us to educate our children on the different trees and their importance.

What a child sees and feels is knowledge that will last a life time, he said.

The educationist said teachers had been teaching students about trees abstractly but with the programme, it would be more practical. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ezra Musa

Kaduna State Government has pledged to plant 1.2 million trees within the year in an effort to tackle climate change.

Mr Ibrahim Husseini, Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, stated this on Friday while inaugurating a tree planting campaign ahead of the 2021 World Environment Day in Kaduna.

According to him, to restore the biodiversity of the environment, massive tree planting must be encouraged to tackle climate change as humans depend on trees for a sustainable environment.

Husseini urged people of the state to imbibe the culture of keeping their environment clean and always avoid felling trees.

He said that government would continue to sensitise people using the media on how to protect the environment through tree planting.

He called on individuals and organisations to plant trees and flowers to help save the environment.

Mr Lawal Jibrin, General Manager Kaduna Environmental Authority (KEPA), said that the agency would ensure the proper nurturing of the trees planted as part of its mandate.

He charged the people to desist from indiscriminate waste disposal and always clear their drains in order to avert flooding.

Jibrin said that the Gov. Nasiru El Rufai-led administration had taken measures to address issue of flooding in the state by ensuring that roads were constructed with standard drainage system.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that KEPA also sensitised students of Government Day School in Rigasa, and gave them trees to plant at the event. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Cecilia Ologunagba

Nigeria on Thursday in New York, called on the global community to take measures to prevent and combat corruption as well as strengthen international cooperation against illicit financial flows.

Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, Executive Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) made the call at UN headquarters while delivering Nigerias statement at the Special Session on Corruption.

The three-day UN General Assembly Special Session on Corruption focuses on Challenges, Measures to Prevent and Combat Corruption and Strengthen International Cooperation.

He spoke of the need for a multifaceted approach to addressing illicit financial flows as recommended by the High Level Panel Report on International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity for Achieving the 2030 Agenda (FACTI Panel).

Bawa said the Report (FACTI Panel) provided paths to financial integrity for sustainable development, strongly showing how to redirect the resources lost from illicit flows to finance the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the achievement of the SDGs.

Nigeria further calls for the simplification of evidentiary requirements and other mutual legal assistance procedures to seize, confiscate and repatriate proceeds of corruption as appropriate, to enhance international cooperation for timely recovery and return of assets.

Let me reiterate that the fight against Illicit Financial Flows is urgent and important in our collective efforts to address corruption.

We remain committed in our efforts to track, investigate and prosecute corrupt individuals and entities and repatriate such funds and assets to their countries of origin, the EFCC Chairman said.

He said Nigeria looked forward to the full implementation of all the commitments expressed in the Political Declaration, particularly on asset recovery and return, to support development financing as well as the implementation of the agenda 2030 for sustainable development.

The EFCC boss told the international gathering that Nigeria under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari had made the fight against corruption one of the cardinal objectives of the administration.

He said Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs) and whistle blowers were encouraged to join the fight against corruption and contribute their quota in that regard.

The EFFC Chairman explained that one instance of such whistle blowing led to the recovery of m.

Public corruption is being exposed by the day and several Politically Exposed Persons have been and are being prosecuted and divested of their illicit assets.

We have been engaging with International Law Enforcement Agencies around the world and some of the collaboration has led to the recovery and repatriation of stolen funds.

It has led to recovery and repatriation of stolen funds, including the recent return of the 4.2million pounds by the UK Government that was stolen from Nigeria by a former governor.

In addition, Bawa said procurement processes had been strengthened and activities of the gate keepers were being monitored through the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering to serve as deterrence to the stealing of public funds.

Policies have been introduced to mitigate revenue leakages including the development of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS).

The NACS is developed with five identified cardinal pillars on prevention, public engagement, ethical re-orientation, enforcement and sanctions and recovery and management of stolen assets/proceeds of crime.

The strategy is aimed at providing a national road map in the fight against corruption, he said.

Also, he said Nigeria had sustained its commitment to the social re-use of recovered assets as demonstrated in the funding of major road infrastructure projects and other social initiatives consisting of cash transfers to the most vulnerable groups, school meals and funding of micro-credit schemes. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health Francis Collins appeared to have dismissed the Wuhan lab leak theory of COVID-19 as a conspiracy in an email in 2020.

This was according to recent media report on Friday.

Citing a newly released email in April 2020 from Collins to Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, U.S. magazine Newsweek reported on Wednesday that the subject line of Collins email to Fauci was titled conspiracy gains momentum.

Most of the message was redacted, aside from a link to an article related to a claim that COVID-19 could have originated from a Chinese lab, said Newsweek.

Faucis response email was also redacted, according to the report.

In an interview published in May 2020 by National Geographic, Fauci said, If you look at the evolution of the virus in bats and whats out there now, (the scientific evidence) is very, very strongly leaning toward this could not have been artificially or deliberately manipulated. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

The German Catholic Church has been rocked by a fresh crisis following the shock resignation of one of its most influential bishops over the Churchs sexual abuse scandal.

In essence, for me, it is a matter of sharing responsibility for the catastrophe of sexual abuse by church officials over the past decades, Cardinal Reinhard Marx wrote to the pope in a letter released on Friday.

A former president of Germany BishopsConference, Marx is one of the nations most influential church leaders.

The German Catholic Church is one of the wealthiest in the world.

Marx, the bishop of Munich, said the investigations and expert reports over the past 10 years consistently showed that there had been a lot of personal failure and administrative errors, but also institutional or systemic failure.

Marxs letter was sent to the pope nearly a fortnight ago but was only made public on Friday.

His resignation offer came after the pope last month stepped into the scandal that has engulfed the Catholic Church in Cologne byordering a review of the west German citys handling of a sex abuse scandal.

The pope plans to dispatch a so-called apostolic visitation to Germanys largest diocese this month to investigate possible errors carried out by Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki in handling the claims of sexual misconduct by priests.

Marx described in a newspaper interview last year the decision not to publish a probe into clergy sexual abuse undertaken by the Cologne Archdiocese as devastating for the entire Catholic Church.

An expert report on cases of sexual abuse in the Munich and Freising archdiocese is expected to be completed in the coming months with the probe focused on how sexual abuse by priests in the diocese was possible and whether high-ranking clergy protected perpetrators.

In his letter to the pope, Marx said he had repeatedly considered resigning from office in recent months.

Events and discussions of recent weeks play only a secondary role in this, Marx wrote, saying his plan to resign was a very personal decision.

I want to make it clear: I am ready to take personal responsibility, not only for my own mistakes but for the church as an institution, which I have helped shape and mould for decades.

Marx plans to continue his work as a bishop until a decision is made on his resignation. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Felicia Imohimi

The International Funds for Agricultural Development-Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD-VCDP) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet)

have signed a Memorandum of Understand (MoU) for agricultural sustainability and enhancement.

Prof. Mansur Matazu, NiMets Director-General, at the ceremony in Abuja said that the IFAD-VCDP and NiMet project would enable the agency to have direct contact with the lead farmers as well as the climate change agent at the community level.

Matazu emphasised that weather and climate forecast was very critical to the agency for easier monitoring of the performance of forecast for farmers as well as feedback.

He added that the agency through the partnership would be abreast of the demand of farmers.

The director-general noted that the agency had set up technical committee for the implementation of the project.

According to him, it has been established in the global altitude for weather information for agriculture that agriculture enhances over 80 per cent per yield.

Therefore, climate risk can be reduced by 90 per cent under this partnership. Our partnership with IFAD-VCDP is a great thing by helping us in fulfilling part of our mandates.

We need to reach out to farmers especially at the grassroots and some partners that have already been on the field.

The partnership makes us do the downscaling activities smoothly, we use this platform to provide services to farmers easily and you.

Earlier, Alhaji Garba Bala, IFAD-VCDP National Programme Coordinator, noted that the project would be piloted in nine states which included Anambra, Ebonyi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Taraba, Niger, Benue, Ogun and Enugu.

Bala said that the VCDP programme was targeted at the poorest of the poor farmers farming below one hectare of land.

He identified climate-related issues and support as key performance indication for VCDP project describing the partnership as timely due to the commencement of the rainy season.

Bala said that the project would provide climate weather information to VCDP farmers.

According to him, the MoU is to get technical assistant from NiMet on climate information for farmers to boost production of rice and cassava in the targeted states.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Adeyemi Adeleye

APC in Lagos State on Friday unveiled its flag bearers for the July 24 local council elections in the state.

Elections will be conducted into the 20 Local Government Councils and the 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) of the state on that day.

The list of chairmanship and vice-chairmanship candidates was signed by the partys Caretaker Committee Chairman, Alhaji Tunde Balogun and the committees Secretary, Mr Lanre Ogunyemi.

The party conducted its primaries across the 57 councils on May 29.

According to the party, the APC chairmanship and vice-chairmanship candidates in Agbado-Okeodo are Oladapo Famuyiwa/Ajoke Obe; Oladele Osinowo/Folake Kayode (Agboyi Ketu), Ganiu Egunjobi/Gbenga Abiola (Agege) and Ayoola Fatai/Lucky Uduikhue (Ajeromi).

In Alimonsho Sulaiman Jelili/Ibrahim Johnson (Alimosho), Dipo Olorunrinu/Maureen Ashara (Amuwo-Odofin), Oluwaseun Gabriel/Samson Aromire (Apapa), Funmilayo Akande/Olawale Olufemi (Apapa-Iganmu), Bolatito Sobowale/Omoshalewa Laguda (Ayobo-Ipaja).

Olusegun Onilude/Pedetin Kappa will contest the election at Badagry Central, Henugbe Gbenu/Rauf Ibrahim (Badagry West), Kolade Alabi/Zainat Kupouyi (Bariga).

Rasak Ibrahim/Matthew Olaleye (Coker- Aguda), Kunle Sanyaolu/Lukmon Ishola (Egbe-Idimu), Monsuru Bello/Ayodele Ayodeji (Ejigbo) and Surah Animashaun/Sikiru Owolomanshe (Epe).

Ismail Akinloye/Lateef Adesanya (Eredo), Adesegun Bankole/Adeola Adetoro (Eti-Osa), Olufemi Rafiu/John Ogundare (Eti-Osa East), Yisa Jubril/Samuel Ayodele (Iba), Abdullahi Olowa/Isiaka Olatunji (Ibeju) and Usman Hamzat/Oluwatoyin Akerele (Ifako-Ijaiye).

Olufemi Okeowo/Adejinyan Ojora (Ifelodun), Lasisi Akinsanya/Afeez Akinyemi (Igando-Ikotun), Olusesan Daini/Nuraini Okedina-Maja (Igbogbo Baiyeku), Motunrayo Gbadebo-Alogba/Femi Kabir (Ijede), Mojeed.

Balogun/Yomi Mayungbe (Ikeja) and Wasiu Adesina/Sade Olabanji-Oba (Ikorodu Central).

Banjo Adebisi/Olawale Ameen (Ikorodu North), Olanrewaju Sulaimon/Adesegun Aluko (Ikorodu West), Adewale Anomo/Wasiu Dehinsilu (Ikosi Ejinrin), Abolanle Bada/Olayinka Ogunleye (Ikosi/Isheri), Fuad Atanda-Lawal/Akinbowale Macaulay (Ikoyi/Obalende) and Kunle Agoro/Ayodele Benson (Imota).

Rashidat Adu/Olusegun Ogunbiyi (Iru, Victoria Island), Adebayo Olasoju/Sadiq Saliu (Isolo), Olanrewaju Apatira/Oluwayomi Lawrence (Itire-Ikate), Moyosore Ogunlewe/Saliu Babatunde (Kosofe), Tijani Olusi/Akinyemi Eshinokun (Lagos Island) and Alade Folawiyo/Adejoke Balogun (Lagos Island East).

Omolola Essein/Jubril Emilagba (Lagos Mainland), Bamidele Kasali/Oluremi Alogba (Lekki), Olabisi Adebajo/Adewale Hamzat (Mosan Okunola), Emmanuel Bamgboye/Tunbosun Aruwe (Mushin), Rasaq Ajala/Oluseyi Jakande (Odi-Olowo), Rasulu Idowu/Edna Uche-Ubochi (Ojo), and Olusegun Odunmbaku/Bunmi Oluyadi (Ojodu).

Hammed Tijani/Coker Oladipo (Ojokoro), Olatunde Folorunso/Monsuru Ogungbemi (Olorunda), Oladotun Olakanle/Olufunke Hassan (Onigbongbo), Hassan Akinola/Olanrewaju Moshood (Oriade) and Babatunde Johnson/Kafila Akanni (Orile Agege).

Almoruf Oloyede/Modupe Badmus (Oshodi), Musbau Ashafa/Abiodun Kareem (Oto Awori), Abdulhamed Salawu/Adekunle Ekinyemi (Somolu), Bamidele Yusuf/Muiz Dosumu (Surulere) and Kayode Omiyale/Adedoyin Rojare for Yaba LCDA. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ismail Abdulaziz
Africas leading sugar manufacturer, the Dangote Sugar Refinery (DSR) has unveiled an innovative sugar brand, tagged: New Look, Same Great Quality.

The ceremony for the unveiling of the white granulated white sugar was conducted on Thursday at the ongoing Kaduna 42nd International Trade Fair.

The vitamin A fortified sugar excited participants who thronged the Dangote Special Day to make enquiries.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Representative of the DSR, Bello Sadik, described the DSR as the market leader, saying the repackaged product is part of the effort at giving the consumer a superior quality.

Acting President of the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA), Alhaji Suleiman Aliyu, said Dangote Group has broken record in all its investments and undertakings.

He congratulated the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, for the repackaged sugar product, and several other innovations.

Dangote has come to rescue Nigeria to make it self-sufficient in food and other products, he said.

Other products that were exhibited at the Dangote Special Day include: Dangote Cement, Dangote Salt and Dangote Fertilizer.

In his speech, representative of the Dangote Group at the event, Mr Hashem Ahmed, said the company had keyed into the Federal Government Backward Integration Policy to make Nigeria self-sufficient in the sugar subsector.

Hashem said that Dangote was passionate about growing Nigerias economy, which informed his current massive investment in sugar and partnership with KADCCIMA and the Kaduna State Government.

He said that the company was currently working on its integrated sugar complexes in Adamawa, Nasarawa and Taraba states, adding that when completed they would have significant impacts on growing the economy.

He said the theme for this years Trade Fair, Promoting domestic production to mitigate the current economic challenges, is apt given the COVID-19 pandemic that has hit the world leading to border closures.

He said the conglomerate would not rest on its oars until Nigeria, and indeed Africa settle in an enviable position among nations.(NAN)
PR:

Source: NAN News

By Ahmed Abba

Gov. Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, has said that there were huge opportunities to be exploited for mutual benefit of China, Yobe and Nigeria, in general.

A statement signed by Mamman Muhammed, the Director General, Press and Media Affairs, quoted Buni as saying this when the Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Cui Jianchun, paid him a courtesy call on Thursday.

He said there was also room for partnership between the Chinese Peoples Congress and the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the people of the two countries to expand their businesses and attract infrastructural development into Nigeria.

Buni explained that the agricultural revolution in Nigeria by the Buhari regime, in consonance with the APC manifesto, saved Nigeria from food shortages during the COVID-19 global lockdown.

President Muhammadu Buhari, in his wisdom, pushed for agricultural development in which farmers massively engaged in food production which saved the country during the lockdown.

We should collaborate and continue to do business with Chinese investors in Nigeria for infrastructural development. Nigerians are willing to explore and exploit available avenues to move forward, the governor added.

Responding, Jainchun, noted that Nigeria and China had many things in common, saying, this year is a very special year for the two countries to do things that will be of mutual benefit.

He expressed confidence that Nigeria would overcome its security challenges and look forward to a bright future, saying that Nigeria and China can also develop a strategy for political and economic prosperity.

We can also partner for improvements in electricity, ICT, industrial growth, investment and technology, we will encourage investors to invest and create jobs in Nigeria.

The ambassador extended an invitation to Gov. Buni to visit China. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari is currently presiding over the meeting of the Police Council at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that those in attendance of the meeting include Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Chairman of the Governors Forum and Governor of Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

Others physically attending the meeting are the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, Ministers of Police Affairs, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Muhammed Bello and the Chairman Police Service Commission, Musiliu

NAN reports that the acting Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba was also sighted at the venue of the meeting but not part of the deliberations.

NAN reliably learnt that the meeting might confirm the appointment of the acting I-G today.

President Buhari had on April 6 appointed Usman Baba as acting the Inspector General of Police.

Baba was a Deputy Inspector General of Police before his promotion.

details later.(NAN)

Source: NAN News