By Olayinka Owolewa

Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara on Thursday described the sudden death of Africas number one para-badminton player, Abdulrafiu Bello, as devastating and painful.

The governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Malam Rafiu Ajakaye, said the incident represented a huge setback for the Nigerian and African contingents ahead of the upcoming Tokyo Paralympics.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Bello died as a result of the injuries he sustained in an auto crash between Oyo and Ogbomoso on Wednesday.

Until his death, Bello was the coach of Kwara Badminton Association and Africas representative on the board of the World Para-badminton Federation.

He was due in Spain in May for the last round of the qualifications for Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

This is a huge loss to, not just the Para-badminton community in Nigeria, but to the entire sports community across Africa.

Bello was one of the best para-badminton players of all time. His death is truly tragic. The government deeply mourns this great talent who left his footprints in the sand of time.

I, therefore, commiserate with his immediate family, including his pregnant wife and the entire sporting community in Kwara State and Nigeria as a whole.

We will miss him a great deal. I pray the Almighty God to console the family he left behind and grant his soul eternal rest. the governor said.

Source: NAN News

By Fortune Abang

The High Commission of Ghana in Nigeria has denied alleged castigation of Nigeria and her leadership by President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana.

An official of the High Commission in Abuja, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the comments trending on social media were nothing but fake news.

The official said the reports, which claimed that Ghanaian President made some provocative comments attacking the leadership and good people of Nigeria.

While describing the reports as misleading, the official said that President Akufo-Addo holds the brotherhood of Ghana and Nigeria in the highest regard.

Akufo-Addo was quoted to have allegedly said: We must learn from the mistakes of Nigeria, and never in our entire history be ever so foolish.

You cannot declare war on your country and still be enjoying federal allocation as a state except in complicity with the government.

The Nigerian government is an ethnic government, not a nationalistic government. What I cannot understand is why Nigerians themselves are not angry enough to change the situation.

According to the official, the statements accredited to Mr. President were not true and misleading.

There is no occasion either in private or public where President Akufo Addo attacked the good people of Nigeria.

Mr. President holds the brotherhood of Ghana and Nigeria in the highest regard.

The said statement is the handwork of enemies of the two brotherly countries whose desire is to continue to see unnecessary tension among the good people of the two countries.

We shall continue to see peaceful coexistence among the good people of Ghana and Nigeria, the official said.

The official, who urged the public to kindly disregard the wrongful information, gave assurance that the Republic of Ghana and the Federal Republic of Nigeria would continue to work together to promote the well-being of the two counties. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ikenna Uwadileke

The National Association of Mango Producers, Processors and Marketers of Nigeria (NAMPPMAN) says it will establish six juice processing plants in the country.

The National President of the association, Alhaji Abdulkadir Nasir, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.

Nasir said that the association would partner with stakeholders in the mango value chain to establish the fruit processing plants in the six geo political zones in the country.

He expressed concern over the present low production level of 800,000 metric tonnes annually and stressed that the juice plants would address the enormous post-harvest losses recorded in mango production in the country.

We want to see that we establish at least six mega juice making factory across the country.

That is why we are talking to various stakeholders that are into processing or manufacturing juices andthe concentrates so that through the association they can become off takers that our famers are churning out.

That is what we want to do this year; we want to promote six mega juice processing plants for off-takers to process mangoes.

Already, there is a very big mango production window but not without challenges because most of the mangoes we have are wild mangoes that can only be consumed in Nigeria, he said.

Nasir, who emphasised the need for increased extension services in the production of competitive mangoes, urged government agencies to show more interest in the role of extension workers.

He also solicited support to overcome challenges of certification and standardisation.

During production care is not taken to standardise and before you export you have to standardise, you have to sort and maintain good level of good agricultural production practices to agree with international certification standard, Nasir said.

He said that the association would also engage a total of 3,600 women in the country in producing mango chips or small scale mango juice making factories.

According to him, 100 women will be selected from each state.

Nasir pointed out that Nigeria had capacity to increase production from the present level through constant training of farmers and other stakeholders at the value chain of the produce.

Mango is not a new crop; I have not seen anyone that does not like the fruit.

It might not be your favourite fruit but I have not seen anyone that has phobia for mango and we want to see that every part of the country gets on board with mango production, processing and marketing, Nasir said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Bukola Adewumi

The Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN) says about 6.1 billion dollars is spent yearly to import wheat into Nigeria.

The President of the association, Alhaji Salim Muhammad, made this known at a news conference on Wheat Forex in Abuja on Thursday.

Muhammad commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over the policy that placed wheat on Forex restriction.

He described it as an impressive policy and a welcome development.

According to him, Nigeria consumes five million metric tons of wheat per annum, while a meagre 420,000 tons is produced locally.

He said that in view of numerous challenges that plagued local production, the policy would enable the government to unlock the unrealised potentials in the wheat sub-sector.

The forex restriction policy will give relevant stakeholders the confidence to invest in the wheat sub-sector as the returns on their investments are protected.

Production and productivity will automatically increase to meet local demand, the association president said.

Muhammad noted that farmers would be given incentives to produce more as there would be improved quality seeds, access to the market and better prices for their produce.

We are engaging 600,000 farmers on an average of threetons per hectare, which will translate to 1.8 million tons of wheat this season.

We have the capacity to produce and feed ourselves if a road map toward self-sufficiency is adopted via a special purpose vehicle called Wheat Round Table (WRT) where all relevant stakeholders work together.

Muhammad said that with the policy, the government would get closer to achieving its goal of food sufficiency in the country.

He, however, appealed to the government not to recall the ban as it would provide assurances on return of investment for private investors in the wheat sector.

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his intervention to revive agriculture and provide more jobs for Nigerians. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Olayinka Olawale/Florence Onuegbu

The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday said that the state was expected to generate billion in the agriculture sector in the next five year.

Sanwo-Olu said this during the official inauguration of the five-year Agricultural and Food Systems Roadmap in Lagos.

He said that most of the investments were expected to be private sector-driven with the needed infrastructure provided by government.

The projection is that the total investment in the agricultural sector from the government, private sector, donor agencies and development partners will run into over billion in the next five years.

The focus of the five-year roadmap is to develop the agricultural value chains where Lagos State has competitive and comparative advantages.

It will help to enhance the states self-sufficiency in food production from 18 per cent to 40 per cent and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in Lagos State.

The roadmap is therefore the most appropriate tool needed to unleash the capacity to produce the most-consumed agricultural products in the state and to accelerate the establishment of farms and agri-businesses, Sanwo-Olu said.

He said that the state could no longer afford to rely exclusively on other states for its food, stressing that it was time for the state to unlock its immeasurable agricultural potential.

The governor said that the roadmap would also lead to wealth generation, value creation, food security, industrialisation of the agricultural sector and the entrenchment of inclusive socio-economic development of the state.

According to him, the roadmap essentially focuses on three pillars which are the growth of the upstream sector, growth of the midstream and downstream sectors, as well as improvement of the private sector participation.

Our strategies for sustainable agricultural development shall focus on three pillars which includes to grow the upstream sector through interventions by leveraging technologies that are capable of lowering the cost of production of farming with the support from donor agencies.

We will also focus on growing the midstream and downstream sectors which involves processing, handling, storage, cold chain, packaging, utilisation and commercialisation.

Government will also help the private sector with business-friendly credits, he said.

The governor disclosed that the state had already started the revamping of its Agricultural Land Holding Authority, to support the investment.

He added that the coconut belt would also be strengthened with increased private sector involvement.

Sanwo-Olu said that some of landmark investment which would help the smooth delivery of the roadmap included the State Aquatic Centre of Excellence (LACE).

He said that LACE would boost fish production from 20 per cent to 80 per cent.

Others, he said included, the Imota Rice Mill, the Lagos Food Production Centre Avia, Igborosu-Badagry, as well as other state-wide agriculture focused initiatives.

I am excited about the wealth we will generate from our fecund land and coastal resources.

The next five years will be productive, competitive, and transformational as Lagos state implements its agricultural roadmap.

We are set to become the nations agricultural powerhouse, and I invite you to join us to make history.

I am greatly encouraged by the interest already generated in the five-year agricultural roadmap and I hope it will be sustained and backed with concrete action on the part of our development partners and the international community.

I assure you that the Lagos State Government is putting in place deliberate incentives to make your investment safe, secure, and profitable, he said.

Earlier, the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya, said that the roadmap was a brain-child of the Agricultural Stakeholders Summit held at the inception of Sanwo-Olu administration.

Olusanya said that private sector partnerships would go a long way in driving the roadmap to fruition.

She said that investment in the transformation of agriculture to agribusiness was one way of achieving the dream of attaining self-sufficiency in food production.

With thousands of hours spent by statisticians, agriculture experts, investment bankers and practitioners, this strategic document was brought to live to help chart the way forward to a food sufficient Lagos.

I dream of a Lagos that is socially inclusive; where the informal sector becomes transformed into data driven clusters and then contribute toward the development of this great state, she said.

The Commissioner for Finance, Dr Rabiu Olowo, said that agriculture currently generates less than two per cent of the states Gross Domestic Product.

He added that the establishment of the roadmap would drive in more investments and create wealth.

Olowo, therefore, urged all stakeholders in the agriculture sector to work together to ensure the success of the roadmap. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Kingsley Okoye/Naomi Sharang

The Senate on Thursday says it is committed to rejuvenating the deplorable state of infrastructure, teaching and learning conditions in tertiary institutions using legislations.

Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Sen. Sandy Onor (PDP Cross-River), gave the pledge at a public hearing and presentation of memoranda on three Bills for the education sector.

The committees vice-chairman was representing its chairman, Sen. Babba Kaita (APC-Katsina).

She said the rejuvenation of the education sector would make provide enormous benefits for youths seeking knowledge.

She said the move to upgrade the Yaba College of Technology and Ilaro Polytechnic to full-fledged universities of technologies would serve as pathway for affordable education resource centres of excellence.

She added that the upgrade of the schools would also provide employment opportunities for the host communities and other qualified Nigerians.

According to Onor, the upgrade into federal universities would provide a hub for cutting-edge research and learning that would encompass multi-disciplinary approaches, knowledge acquisitions and dissemination.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the three Bills were sponsored by Sen. Solomon Adeola (APC-Lagos.)

They are:

A Bill for an Act to Provide for the Establishment of the Federal University of Technology, Yaba, and a Bill for an Act to Provide for the Establishment of the Federal University of Technology, Ilaro, Ogun State.

The third is a Bill for an Act to provide for the Establishment of the Nigerian French Language School as an inter-university Centre for French Studies.

Sen. Adeola said at the presentation that there was need to expand opportunities for Nigerias teeming youths to gain admission into universities, particularly technology-based education.

This, he said, informed his sponsorship of the Bills to upgrade two major existing polytechnics to full-blown universities of technology.

On conversion of the Yaba College of Technology, Adeola said it would go a long way in addressing the challenge of huge demand for requisite educational institution for the mega city of Lagos.

He said the Bill for the upgrade of the Federal Polytechnic Ilaro to Federal University of Technology was informed by the expansion and development of the polytechnic since its inception in 1979.

According to him, its upgrade would help to balance the spread of educational infrastructure in the state and in other parts of the country.

On the Bill for establishment of the Nigeria French Language Village in Ajara, Badagry, Lagos State as an inter-university centre, he said it would go a long way to address the French language deficiency in Nigerian professionals.

Mr. Nureni Alabi, Vice-Chairman, Yaba College of Technology Alumni Association said graduates of the institution would become more grounded in technology, applied science, Information and Communication Technology if the Bill becomes law.

This, he said, was relevant to the needs of development of Nigeria on industrial and agricultural production, research and high-tech development.

The Federal University of Technology, Yaba, will help to conserve the much-needed foreign exchange that is stupendously spent on education tourism.

The Federal University of Technology, Yaba, will help to give an open license to run all technical and technology-based courses that will be beneficial to the citizens in this contemporary times, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

FCT Minister of State, Dr Ramatu Aliyu, made the remark at the induction and award ceremony of the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management of Nigeria, on Thursday in Abuja.

Aliyu was represented by Mr Osuji Geoffrey, Director Inspectorate, Planning and Monitoring, Area Councils Services Secretariat.

She assured business owners that the FCT Administration would continue to reward high impact entrepreneurs who had done very well in various businesses under the supervision of the Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA).

The minister affirmed that the AEA remained the administrations vehicle for entrepreneurial and wealth creation, as encapsulated in the FCT Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy.

She said that the FCT Administration was leaving no stone unturned towards ensuring that MSMEs were not encumbered with business support challenges in the territory.

The minister reiterated that in more than 10 years of supporting businesses in the FCT, the agency had assisted about 73, 450 individuals and businesses.

According to her, 90 per cent of those assisted are women and youths with critical business support such as business clinics, access to finance, workspace, and market linkage amongst others.

She further said the AEA had also supported 31,100 rural entrepreneurs in 160 communities with capacity building trainings, access to finance, provision of equipment and other critical areas.

These are just some of the few achievements the agency has attained over the years, the minister said.

Aliyu commended the institute for representing thousands of sales professionals from every sector of the economy, industry and commerce.

Speaking earlier, Alhaji Awulu Muktari, the President-in-Council, Institute of Sales and Marketing Management of Nigeria, said that since the establishment of the institute by an Act of parliament in 2007, it had been active in its advisory role to government.

Muktari said that advisory role was in policy formulation on trade matters.

Represented by Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, the president said apart from individuals, the institute had also been conducting in-house training for sales and marketing staff of corporate bodies.

He said such personnel were those who wanted to sharpen the skills of their employees to engage them in strategic revenue drive that would increase corporate earnings.

Muktari, therefore, called on corporate bodies and other individuals to leverage the on the Abuja office, for training re-training of employees for professional efficiency. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Rabiu Sani-Ali

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kano/Jigawa Area Command, says it generated a total of N7.658billion revenue in the first quarter (Q1) of 2021.

The Customs Area Comptroller, Mr Suleiman Pai-Umar, disclosed this at a news conference on Thursday in Kano.

Pai-Umar said that N2.947 billion was generated in January, N2.562 billion in February and while N2.147 in March.

He said that the figure represented more than 100 per cent increase in duty collection, as against the N3.898 billion recorded within the same period in 2020.

Pai-Umar said that the service also made various seizures, with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N38 .564 million within the period under review.

He said that the seizures were made through intelligence gathering at different times and locations in his commands area of operation.

The NCS chief listed the seized goods to include: 716 bags of rice, 90 bales of used clothes, 162 cartons of pasta, 85 cartons of macaroni, 240 cartons of soap and two cartons of milk.

He also said that the servicearrested two suspects in connection with the seizures,adding that they would be charged to court as soon as investigations were concluded.

It is veryunfortunate and disturbing that despite the awareness on the dire consequences of smuggling activities on economic growth and development, some citizens still perpetuate this criminal actfor their selfish interests.

The NCSs zero tolerance for smuggling is non-negotiable and the service will do everything in its capacity to fight it, he said.

While commending the personnel for their dedication to duty, Pai-Umar lauded other security agencies and community leaders for their support to the service.

The comptroller also urged the media to educate people on the ills of smuggling and the need topromote legitimate trade in the society. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Joshua Olomu

Amb. Mariam Katagum, the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment says the Federal Government is willing and committed to supporting women-owned Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria.

The minister made this known on Thursday when a delegation of the Federation of Women Associations in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (FEDWIM) led by its National Coordinator, Mr Anne Ugbo, paid her a courtesy visit in Abuja.

The Minister said that Nigerian women entrepreneurs, through their ingenuityhavealways contributedtheir quota to national economy and therefore needed to be encouraged for enhanced contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

She reaffirms that Nigerian women formed a very important constituent of the President MuhammaduBuhari-led Federal Government.

Katagum reiterated that women-owned businesses were allocated 45 per cent and five per cent for those with special needs in the Federal Governments MSMEs Survival Fund Scheme to cushion the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on their businesses.

The Federal Government clearly understands the place of women in economic development of our nation and that is why this ministry is doing everything possible to support them.

Among other initiatives, the Federal Government has also flagged off the N50billion Export Expansion Facility Programme (EEFP) on non-oil export businesses thereby safeguarding jobs and creating new jobs.

I use this medium to encourage more women to apply and we also urge associations to mobilise and sensitise their members, she said.

Katagum however advised the delegation of FEDWIN to formally write to the ministry, indicating areas of possible collaboration.

Earlier, Ugbo said the association was in the ministryto brief the minister about its programmes and to solicit support for its members across the 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory.

She however commended the minister of state for her motherly commitment to the well-being of the Nigerian women through her contributions to the growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

FEDWIM is established to serve as a platform to create synergy among all women economic empowerment focused groups to provide a single mechanism for coordinated engagement with government and other stakeholders.

This would engender effective supervision and monitoring of participation in the implementation of programmes and feedback for appropriate policy formulation and decision making on matters of economic empowerment and financial inclusion of women.

This would fast track the development and competitiveness of the MSME sector, especially for women who are faced with challenges of poor access to affordable finance, appropriate technology and other challenges, she said.

Ugbo said the association was currently mobilising 50,000 women across sectors and levels of operations to participate in the ongoing process of accessing the Agribusiness and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Investment Scheme (AGSMEIS) loan. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Mateen Badru

The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State,CP Hakeem Odumosu, has deployed additional 1,000 personnel to check traffic robbery in the state.

The Commands Spokesperson, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday.

Adejobi said the Command had given motorcycles to policemen, which made it easier for them to maneuver and track traffic robbers.

One chance as it is popularly called in Lagos state is one of the crimes we record, where passengers are robbed and pushed out of moving commercial vehicles, and the Command is mindful of this.

This is why we have intensified our intelligence and are taking proactivemeasures to make sure the perpetrators are caught in their hideouts before they strike.

What the CP has done again is to deploy additional 1,000 personnel to the traffic division of the state and they were given motorcycles to maneuver and keep traffic robbers in check, Adejobi said.

He added that the Command had deployed policemen to fortify security at flashpoints and along most of the major routes in the states.

Adejobi explained that traffic robbers usually operated on motorcycles or just trek to their victims in a hold up while one chance operators robbed passengers inside vehicles.

He said most times commercial with registration numbers that could be tracked were used to perpetuate the act.

He urged members of the public to assess vehicles properly before boarding and also take note of registration numbers whenever they were not certain.

One chance operators can easily be tracked as long as we have the vehicle registration number. This is what made it possible for LASTMA officers to intercept a vehicle at Aja recently.

All we just need is for people to be mindful of the buses they board. Be sure to assess the kind of people in the bus and dont just enter because you are in haste to get to your destination.

But we are mindful of the two incidents and their modus operandi. We have arrested many of the culprits and we will not relent, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News