By Joy Akinsanya

The Ogun government says it has cleared 1,000 hectares of land in preparation for modern farming technology and climate smart agriculture in the state.

The Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Adeola Odedina, made this known on Tuesday, when he led the state agric team toinspectthelandat Apojula in Odeda Local Government Area of the state.

Hesaid that the land preparation was a major drive towards ensuring adequate food supply, jobcreation and industrialisation.

Odedina noted that theGov. Dapo Abiodun-led administration hadpromised to engage the youth and train them to realise its agricultural agenda for the state.

Odedina disclosed that 600 hectares of the land were cleared by the state government, while the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, assisted in clearing 400 hectares.

According to him, the land will be allocated to minimum of 1,000 interested youths in the area.

He added that the governor had earlier in the year mandated the ministry to engage in Climate Smart Agriculture.

The commissioner said that this informed the ministrys plan to take advantage of Oyan dam, close to the farmland, for irrigation.

In Ogun, we are concentrating on our strength. We are into cassava, rice and vegetables. We want to include facilities for irrigation here so that the young farmers will not only depend on rain.

We want young people to come here and farm, and demonstrate profitably, he said.

Odedina, while meeting the Baale of Apojula, Chief Jelili Ogundiya, appreciated the people for accepting governments agricultural programme in the area.

He assured that there would be provision of more potable water, as plan was underway to erect a borehole for the inhabitants of the village.

ThePermanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Dotun Sorunke, described the people of the area as accommodating.

Also, Mr Yekeen Razaq, Deputy Director, Land Management, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that federal governments collaboration with the state on agriculture was meant to provide sufficient food for the country and create jobs.

Responding, Ogundiya commended government for the project in the community and prayed for its successful implementation. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Emmanuel Oloniruha

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday commenced a nationwide verification exercise for centres proposed for voting units to be converted to polling units across the country,

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this when he visited some of the proposed centres and existing polling units in FCT and Nasarawa State.

Yakubu spoke with newsmen at the exercise at the INECs office in Karu Local Government, Nasarawa State.

The chairman said that the purpose of the verification exercise was to ensure that the right thing was done in the conversion of the voting points to polling units.

All the National Commissioners are out, visiting the states of the Federation to verify the work of converting the voting points to polling units.
So, we decided from the headquarters to visit some of the polling units and voting points in the FCT and also in the Karu Local Government, Nasarawa State.

We have done that of FCT, we are now in Karu.

You will recall that as part of our engagement with stakeholders, we show images of one of the congested polling units in the country from Karu in Nasarawa State.

So, I have to verify that the right thing is being done in converting those voting points to polling units and relocating them in line with the Commissions guidelines.

So far, it is a work in progress. At the end of the exercise will address the media, he said.

The INEC Chairman said he had been informed that 395 voting points were being converted to polling units in Karu Local Government.

Yakubu said that with the conversion of voting points to polling units, there would be expanded access to polling units for voters, while congestion of polling units would be eliminated in future elections.

What we have done, basically, is to build on what we did in 2019. Recall that we are converting the voting points used for the 2019 elections into autonomous polling units and relocating them.

This is going to be a continuous process. One exercise will not solve the problem.

But we hope we have established the mechanism that going forward, the commission will be adjusting the number of polling units as the number of registered voters increases, he said.

He gave assurance that the Continuous Voters Registration exercise would commence on June 28 after the PUs conversion.

He added that voters would be given the opportunity to choose the location they wish to be their new polling units.

He urged stakeholders and community leaders to support the commission and sensitise the people on the ongoing exercise for the conversion of polling units.

Some of the centers visited by Yakubu include PUs located in Government Secondary School Life Camp, Apo Legislative Quarters, and Zone-D entrance gate Apo, in the FCT.

Others include the commissions office in Mararaba, Karu Local Government office and Karu International market in Nasarawa State.

Also speaking with newsmen, National Commissioner, Mohammed Haruna, said that the visit was to ensure the fieldwork carried out by the officers of the commission for conversion exercise was okay.

Haruna said that at the end of the verification exercise, INEC would hold a stakeholders meeting to inform stakeholders what the commission had done as well as to get their inputs.

He said that the process of the PUs conversion was in three stages namely the fieldwork, which was undertaken by INEC Electoral officers.

The next stage is a verification and that is what we have embarked on from Monday, which was a public holiday, from May 3 to May 7 and from May 8, we will do stakeholders meeting, he said.

He said that when that was concluded the CVR would commence by June 28.

Some of the PUs visited in Abuja included PU001 located at Ministers Gate, Life Camp; Government Secondary School Life Camp which also served as a collation center.

INEC Electoral Officer, Abuja Municipal Area Council, Mrs Falimatu Bakare, explaining work done so far to Yakubu at the minister gate said before now, the PU had one polling unit and six voting points.

Bakare said that four of the voting points were being moved to other public and open spaces including Stella Maris School, Paradise Caffee Garden and others for easy access to voters around the area.

Also conducting the chairmans team to the visited location in Nasarawa, INEC Electoral officer in Karu Local Government, Mr Idris Maikazua, said the voting points were moved out to public places to accommodate areas far from the existing polling units.

These areas according to him, including Aso, Karu e-library, Karu abattoir, City College of Education, Ruga Market, Mararaba International Market and other public and open spaces. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By EricJames Ochigbo

The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to develop effective mechanism towards halting massive capital flight in Nigeria.

This followed the adoption of motion by Rep. Afolabi Olalekan (APC-Osun) at plenary on Tuesday in Abuja.

Moving the motion, Olalekan said that capital flight has been one of the unresolved and persistent macroeconomic problems plaguing the nation for over four decades.

Ironically, Nigeria is ranked among the highest producers of crude oil in the world and earns a huge amount of foreign exchange from its exports but still falls short of capital to develop, maintain and upgrade its infrastructure, he said.

He said that the countrys under development was due to high capital flight compared to accumulated domestic investments.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development estimated that about 88.6billion dollars per year leaves the continent through money laundry, tax evasion, diverted revenues, offshore investments and other forms of capital flights, with Nigeria accounting for an estimated 46 per cent of the total capital flight or 40.7billion dollars per year.

Aware of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Bulletin in 2015 which shows that the net flow of capital flight from Nigeria from 1986 to 2015 was quite worrisome, with Nigeria losing a colossal sum of over 8.8 trillion dollars.

The alarming rate of foreign medical services being sought by Nigerians, both private individuals and government officials, which amounts to more than 6.5 billion dollars based on the statistics released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2015, while expenses on foreign education amount to more than 3billion dollars based on estimates released by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) in its 2014 annual report, he said.

Olalekan said that there have been pleas by successive governments to foreign banks and other international financial institutions to release and repatriate stolen and diverted funds stockpiled abroad by corrupt leaders.

Capital flight exerts detrimental effects on both short and long term growth of the economy by reducing domestically available investible capital as it represents a foregone investment in manufacturing plants, infrastructure, social welfare, reduction of a countrys tax base and a contribution to the high debt profile, among others, he said.
In his ruling, the Speaker of the house, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila mandated the Committee on Legislative Compliance to ensure implementation. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Leonard Okachie

The Chairman, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia, Rev. Augustine Ehiemere, says the party will no longer issue tickets to political party gamblers.

Ehiemere gave the hint in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Umuahia.

According to him, political office seekers, who fail to pick tickets in their original parties during primaries will no longer take refuge in APGA.

That era is over in APGA. These party gamblers, who will run to APGA because they could not get tickets in their original parties, will no longer be accommodated here.

They have proved to be unserious party people. They only become APGA when they lose tickets in other parties.

And after contesting on APGA platform, they defect to their original parties, Ehiemere said.

He, therefore, urged politicians with interest in APGA to join now without further delay.

The party chairman described the party as the only credible platform that could salvage the state from decades of misrule and plundering.

The party had in a statement issued on Tuesday assured that it would provide a credible alternative for the Abia electorate to elect candidates that would liberate the state from poverty and maladministration.

The statement which was issued by the party at the end of its Leadership and Strategic meeting in Umuahia, was entitled: Abia APGA Still Waxing Strong, Preparatory to 2023 General Elections.

It stated that the partys resolve and preparedness to redeem Abia people from the shackles of poverty, insecurity and economic strangulation was non negotiable.

Abia has suffered serious economic setback, which has affected every facet of the economy, including civil servants, artisans, pensioners and business men.

Abia people are tired of misrule in the state and Nigeria in general, the statement added.

The statement said that Ehiemere was said to have charged stakeholders at the meeting to remain resolute and focused and to work assiduously to woo more members ahead of the 2023 polls.

It noted that he further urged the people to take advantage of the upcoming registration of new voters by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to arm themselves to be able vote out bad government.

The statement stated that the party used the meeting to draw up a roadmap on how to take over the Government House in 2023.

The meeting was attended by its 17 Local Government Area (LGA) Chairmen and Women leaders.

Speaking with newsmen at the end of the meeting, the partys Woman Leader in Aba North LGA, Mrs Nene Michael, commended the Ehiemere-led executive for its focused and visionary leadership.

Also, the Chairmen of Obingwa and Isiala Ngwa South LGAs, Mr Joshua Chidiebere and Chief Mike Eze, respectively, extolled Ehiemeres sterling leadership quality.

They all pledged their commitment to ensure the partys victory in 2023. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ismail Abdulaziz
Nigerias Dangote Cement Plc (DCP) is expected to pay N40.39 billion in taxation to the nations treasury from its operational result in the first quarter of 2021.

According to the financial result published by the countrys largest cement manufacturer on, the amount is due from corporate tax for the period ended March 31, 2021.

The amount of corporate tax due from Dangote Cement in the first three months of this year is higher by 47.3 per cent compared with the N27.42 billion paid in the corresponding period of 2020 financial year.

In addition, the company currently pays over N240 million Value Added Tax (VAT) daily to the government, making DCP one of the biggest private sector tax payers in the country.

In line with the governments quest to boost infrastructural development in the country, DCP opted to provide funding for the constructions of major roads in Lagos and Kogi States.

The roads are the critical Lagos Apapa Port road leading to the old toll gate and the Lokoja-Obajana-Kabba road between Kogi and Kwara states.

Further analysis of the financial report showed that the company ramped up production capacity in the Obajana Line 5 and resumed production at the Gboko plant to meet increased demand for its products.

Dangote Cement also increased total volume of cement sold in the first three months of the year from its Nigerian operations to 4.9Mt compared to the 4.0Mt sold in the first quarter of 2020.

Pan-African operations sold 2.6Mt of cement in the period under review compared to 2.3Mt sold in the corresponding period in 2020.

The cement maker said it is making efforts to start the Okpella Plant before the end of June in order to meet the increasing demand for cement in the country and help to moderate prices in the market.

Commenting on the financial result, DCP GMD/Chief Executive Officer, Michel Puchercos, said that the company started the first quarter of 2021 on a positive note and recorded increase in revenue and profitability.

He stated that the cement company posted a profit after tax of N89.7 billion.

We took the strategic decision to pause our clinker exports to ensure we meet the rapid volume growth in the Nigerian domestic market. We are improving the output of our existing and new assets and aim to recommence clinker exports in the second quarter.

Our Pan-Africa operations have reached new heights, with an EBITDA margin of 25.5 per cent and volume growth of 12.8 per cent reported during the quarter.

One of our priorities in 2021 is to strengthen our alternative fuel initiative. It focuses on leveraging the circular economy business model, optimising costs and reducing exposure of our cost base to foreign currency fluctuations.

As ever, we are committed to keeping our staff and communities safe by being fully compliant with health and safety measures in all our territories of operation.

DCP is sub-Saharan Africas largest cement producer with an installed capacity of 48.6Mta across 10 African countries and operates a fully integrated quarry-to-customer business with activities covering manufacturing, sales and distribution of cement.

It has a long-term credit rating of AAA by GCR and Aa2.ng by Moodys due to its market leading position, significant operational scale and strong financial profile.

This is evidenced by the companys robust operating and net profit margins relative to regional and global peers, adequate working capital, satisfactory cash flow and low leverage.

It is a subsidiary of Dangote Industries Limited, a diversified and fully integrated conglomerate as well as a leading brand across Africa in businesses such as cement, sugar, salt, beverages, and real estate, with new multi-billion dollar projects underway in the oil and gas, petrochemical, fertiliser and agricultural sectors.(NAN)
PR

Source: NAN News

By Folasade Akpan

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve data collection and analytics on port related activities.

The MoU was signed on Tuesday in Abuja by Mr Yemi Kale, Statistician-General of the Federation and Hadiza Usman, Managing-Director, NPA.

Kale said that the ports were major channels through which cargo entered and exited the country and that they were critical to the development of the transportation and storage sector of the economy.

According to him, with the recent signing of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the prospects for increased trading and storage activities were huge and expected to grow significantly in the coming years, in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Therefore, generating and disseminating more granular information on these activities will be useful in ensuring that policymakers and managers within the sector are fully equipped with the right tools and evidence to do their work.

Also, it will further provide a sound basis for operators and potential investors in the sector to make informed decisions on how to participate and take advantage of opportunities available within the sector.

The output from this effort will contribute to the growing array of statistics produced by the statistical system in Nigeria and also shed more light on the important work that you do in administering port activities in Nigeria.

On her part, Usman said that the collaboration would result in the development of inter-agency link.

This, she said bridged identifiable gaps by collaborating in streamlining the process of data exchange, gathering, q cleansing, analysis, storage, retrieval and dissemination.

She added that the NPA would also require joint capacity building in the era of data analytics and management of such data.

Also, the creation of joint data verification and mechanism in order to have feedback on data and output among the items of collaboration between the two agencies.

In addition, I would like to specifically request the collaboration of automation of data collection.

This is an area that we would really require support towards automation in our data collection, which would eliminate errors and also have live and up-to-date information when required.

So I would like to specifically ask for that area of support to guide the NPA in the deployment of automation as it relates to data gathering.

She added that the NBS would, by the collaboration, get up to date trade information on port operations.

She added that it would also update its data heads specific to port operations and broaden the scope of maritime data to be collected.

Usman said that this would ensure timely access to data exchange for planning, research, monitoring, projections reporting and sustainable synergy for capacity building across the port industry.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Emmanuel Acha

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has decried the low participation of the South-East in its economic intervention policies and programmes.

The acting Director, Corporate Communications Department of the bank, Mr Osita Nwanisobi, disclosed this on Tuesday during the CBN Fair in Enugu.

Nwanisobi said that the CBN intervention programmes were meant to create jobs, engender financial inclusion and make the people have access to finance.

He said Nigerians needed to leverage the intervention programmes of the apex bank for a better living at a time when inflation was spiking and prices of food items souring.

Nwanisobi said the aims of the CBN intervention in the real economy were to create jobs, bring down food prices, financially include the excluded and engender inclusive growth.

This CBN Fair enables us to create awareness of all the policies and interventions of the bank and to talk to our people on how they can leverage the programmes.

We noticed that there seems to be a lethargy in terms of people from the zone embracing the CBN interventions.

There is also the need for the state governments to leverage the Anchor Borrowers Programme to improve the lives of the people, he said.

Nwanisobi said that the apex bank in its bid to engender inclusiveness started its Commodity Development Initiative with 10 commodities but now, we are at about 22 commodities.

In choosing the commodities we intervene in, we look at the possible impacts and those that will help us to create quick wins.

We also intervene in areas where we have comparative advantage and not just for local production but for export also, he said.

Nwanisobi said that the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, was very passionate about the 37 interventions of the apex bank, adding that the South-East could do much better in accessing them.

In a goodwill message, the Enugu State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Martins Idu, appealed to the CBN to domesticate some of its intervention programmes to enable more people to participate.

Idu said that most of the programmes did not have the value chains needed in the state.

The commissioner appealed to the apex bank to include honey production and piggery as some of the items under its Commodity Development Initiative.

He said that the state had no fewer than 2,000 farmers that were into piggery, adding that such people needed to be supported.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event which will feature lectures on the programmes and policies of the apex bank would end on Wednesday. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Monday Ijeh

The acting Inspector-General of Police (I-G), Mr Usman Baba, has ordered the deployment of Mr Abutu Yaroas the new Commissioner of Police (CP) in charge of Imo.

The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr Frank Mba, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mba also announced that the I-G had approved the deployment of Mr Hussaini Rabiu as the new CP in charge of the Police Command in Zamfara.

He said that the deployment was in line with the efforts of the police leadership to strengthen security, tackle violent crimes and enhance optimal coordination of policing operations within the state.

According to him, Yaro, a fellow of the National Defence College and the immediate past CP in charge of the Police Command in Zamfara, is an operationally-minded cop.

He said by the new development, Yaro took over from Mr Nasiru Mohammed, who had been redeployed to Western Port Authority, Lagos.

Mba said that other deployments included John Amadi, from Western Port Authority to Airport Police Command, Ikeja, Lagos; Anderson Bankole, Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Ikoyi, Lagos, and Joe Enwonwu, Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), Force Headquarters, Abuja.

He said that the I-G called onthe newly deployed officers to bring to bear their professional experience at improving policing and restoring public confidence in their new places of assignment.

He pledged the determination of the Force under his leadership to upscale its operations, improve public safety and tackle all forms of crimes in the country. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Naomi Sharang

The Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning is to interface with the Nigerian Army on improved funding for security operations in the country.

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed said this during an interactive meeting in Abuja with Senate Committee on Army and representatives of Chief of Defence Staff and that of Chief of Army Staff.

According to her, the ministry and indeed the President prioritises funding for the Armed of Forces of Nigeria.

I have met with the chief of defence staff and all the service chiefs and I know that their need is very large.

So We need to sit together and look at how we can rearrange the cost of governance so that we can shift emphasis to the funding.

We are glad that the process is happening. Perhaps this will be the pathway toward looking at how we can fund the armed forces operations.

We also look forward to funding of the army where 100 per cent of its requirements will be achieved, she said.

Ahmed added:May be the thing to do in the meantime, is to take stock of the real needs of the Nigerian army.
You have an opportunity in the supplementary budget that is coming in so that we can address some of that.

Earlier, Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Sen. Ali Ndume said the meeting was geared toward addressing Nigerias security challenges.

The reason is because of the serious security challenges we are facing in the country that is spreading like cancer.

We are here to interact and find out what the problem is and what the immediate solutions are, he said.

Ndume, however, noted that out of a National Budget of N13 trillion, only N30 billion was allocated to the army. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Mohammed Tijjjani

The Kaduna State Government said suspected bandits killed two and injured six residents in Chikun and Kajuru Local Government Areas of the state.

The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan confirmed the incident in a statement on Tuesday in Kaduna.

Aruwan said security agencies reported that bandits invaded Mazari, a community close to Buruku in Chikun LGA.

According to the report, one person was killed in the attack and three others injured.

He disclosed that in another incident, bandits attacked Doka village, Kajuru LGA, killed one person and injured three others. (NAN)

Source: NAN News