By Harrison Arubu

President of the United Nations General Assembly, Amb. Volkan Bozkir, has warmly welcomed the approval of Libyas interim unity government.

The countrys House of Representatives approved the cabinet of interim Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah on Wednesday after two days of intense debate.

According to a UN-brokered agreement, the transitional government is to lead the country through elections, scheduled for Dec. 24.

In a tweet, Bozkir said he hoped the lawmakers decision would help heal divisions and put Libya on a steady path to the December polls.

The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has also congratulated the interim government and Libyan people over the vote.

Briefing newsmen in New York, UN spokesman, said UNSMIL applauded the House of Representatives for uniting to uphold the interests of their country and their people.

The Mission says Libya now has a genuine opportunity to move forward towards unity, stability, prosperity, reconciliation and the full restoration of its sovereignty, Dujarric said.

The interim government was appointed by stakeholders at a UN-led peace talks in Geneva on Feb. 5 following last years ceasefire.

It replaces rival administrations that plunged the country into a costly civil war after the ouster of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi by NATO-backed forces in 2011. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Germanys top disease control official says a third wave of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has already begun in the country.

Lothar Wieler, head of the Robert Koch Institute, said he was very worried and that there were clear signs the third wave has already started in Germany.

Thursday marks one year since the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a global pandemic.

It is still urgently necessary to remain strict when it comes to protective measures such as mask-wearing and keeping a distance in spite of vaccinations having begun, Wieler told UN journalists in Geneva on Wednesday.

The vaccine campaign is a race against the mutating virus, but the finish line is in sight, he said.

If there were no interruptions, for example from production downtimes, 80 per cent of Germanys population could be immune to the virus by autumn.

If that happened, all measures can be lifted, Wieler said.

On the day the pandemic was declared, 118,000 infections and almost 4,300 deaths had been recorded worldwide.

A year later, WHO statistics showed almost 120 million infections and some 2.6 million deaths.

The WHOs biggest concern is the unequal distribution of vaccines.

If the virus spreads unhindered in some parts of the world, mutations and variants can pose a threat everywhere, as WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had repeatedly warned.

Since wealthier countries have direct contracts with vaccine manufacturers, fewer doses were available on the market for the UN-backed vaccine solidarity alliance Covax.

An eighth attempt at the World Trade Organisation to demand that more than 100 countries temporarily suspend patents on coronavirus vaccines to boost production failed on Wednesday. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Gabriel Yough

Taraba Government has received 56,250 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from Federal Government.

Dr Ebenezer Apake, PermanentSecretary, Ministry of Health received the vaccine on behalf of the state government at a brief ceremony in Jalingo on Thursday.

Apake described the arrival of the vaccine as a bold step towards tackling the rising wave of deadly virus in the state.

For us to win the war against the pandemic, 80 per cent of the population needs to be vaccinated.

I want to call on the people especially frontline health workers who will benefit from the first tranche to avail themselves for the vaccination.

Though the vaccine is here with us, we must keep to the protocol of social distancing and wearing of facemask, he said.

Dr Jauro Hassan, Executive Secretary, Taraba Primary Healthcare Development Agency, said the government had trained 254 workers across the 16 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state for the vaccination.

He said that the trainee were expected to step down the training to the grassroots level for optimal result.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that ceremony was witnessed by members of the state COVID -19 Technical Committee, representative of the Who Health Organisation (WHO, the media among others.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Namibia is eyeing raising red meat exports to China and the Middle East with a view to broadening its market access and hiking agriculture export earnings.

The state-owned Meat Board of Namibia (MBN) disclosed this on Thursday.

MBN Chief Marketing Officer Desmond Cloete said Namibia engaged the services of North-West University in South Africa to conduct a desktop market survey targeting China and the Middle East with the view of increasing red meat with a special focus on beef, mutton, and lamb exports to those destinations.

The survey, which focused on the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and China, showed that those markets are lucrative and will go a long way in allowing Namibia to withstand market competition from other African producers, according to Cloete.

The next step would be to select a clear market entry approach and the study proposed the following strategies including exporting under a private label/brand.

This can either be under a local brand name of an importer or supermarket in the importing country or under a brand established in the exporting country and building the product in the targeted market, he said.

Cloete said Namibia should organise trade missions that can visit China and the Middle East working together with the Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and SME Development, the MBN, or foreign missions in the region to create the needed synergies for more red meat product exports in those markets.

He also called for Namibia to target participating trade shows such as Gulfood in Dubai, Sial in Abu Dhabi, Foodex Saudi in Jeddah, Kuwait International Agro Food Expo, and Sial China in Shanghai to position their meat brands as the first option in those markets. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Nefishetu Yakubu

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) has trained no fewer than 30 agricultural Extension Agents in Edo State ahead of 2021 farming season.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the four days training programme in collaboration with the Agricultural extension Research Liaison Services (NEARLS) and Sasakawa Africa Association Global 2000, began on Monday, March 8, in Benin.

Speaking at the closing ceremony on Thursday in Benin, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alh. Sabo Nanono, said the training became necessary in order to expose the agents to agricultural global best practices.

Represented by the State Director of Agriculture, Mr Wellington Omoragbon, the minister said the training would build the capacity of youth and existing practitioners in agricultural extension delivery system.

This training is the first in series that will empower you with knowledge that will enhance service delivery to farmers both in terms of production practices and equipment for technical support.

Over the year, the fortunes of the agricultural extension system has declined, majorly due to decreased funding, policy changes, reduced manpower and lack of interest in agricultural entrepreneurship.

This situation has affected food production, exposing the country to danger of unemployment, youth restiveness and economic instability.

So, this training is one of several strategies planned by the Ministry to halt the drift in the agricultural extension system with the aim of pursuing the revitalisation agenda of the economy by the Federal Government, he said.

According to the minister, it is the desire of President Muhammadu Buhari to see that Nigerias agricultural extension delivery system meets global competitiveness.

This is to ensure that we have adequate food for our population and some to augument foreign earnings, Nanono added.

Also, Mr Ernest Umakhihe, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, represented by the Deputy Director, Extension Service, Mr Adekule Okunlaya, urged the participants to take advantage of training to improve the agricultural sector.

Umakhihe said that the training was being held in all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The drive by the present administration to revitalise agricultural extension services is to help farmers and value chain actors improve the livelihoods of rural populations, he added.

Earlier, the Programme Manager of Edo Agricultural Development Project (ADP), Mr Peter Aikhuomobhogbe, thanked FMARD for assisting to train extension agents in the state.

Even though this training is going on in the 36 states of the federation including the FCT, Edo is unique because we have been given inputs to support the training, he said.

According to Aikhuomobhogbe, the Edo ADP work plan for 2021 is to boost food production by 30 per cent, adding that they would need extension services to achieve the target. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Rita Iliya

The Niger State House of Assembly has directed five commissioners to appear before the lawmakers on March 16 to explain the alleged extra-budgetary expenditures by their ministries in the 2020 budget.

This was the resolutions of the house after a motion on matter of urgent public importance was presented at the plenary by Mr Malik Madaki, member representing Bosso Constituency, who raised the issue.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the motion for invitation of the commissioners was seconded by Malam Abba Bala, member representing Borgu in Minna on Thursday.

Those directed to appear before the legislators are the commissioners of finance, planning, justice, works and sports.

Speaker of the House, Mr Abdullahi Bawa, while reading the resolutions of the house, directed the five commissioners to appear before the house and explain the alleged unconstitutional act and why administrative action should not be taken against them.

Earlier, Madaki had raised concern that the state government carried out expenditure outside what was approved in the appropriation law of 2020.

He said that the ministry of works expended over N2 billion while that of sports spent N360 million and justice spent N450 million which was above the approved 2020 budget of the ministries.

The lawmaker said that the additional expenditures of the ministries were not authorished by the house through supplementary appropriation as required under section 120; subsection two of the 199 Constitution as amended.

He described such acts as unconstitutional and unlawful, adding that the monies spent were out of public funds of the state.

Masako said that the lawmakers could not fold their hands and allow public funds to be spent without following due process as the monies were not approved in the 2020 budget or in a supplementary budget. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Kola Adeyemi

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged its staff members in the Department of Voter Education and Publicity (VEP) to quickly adjust to the ongoing reforms in the commission.

The INEC National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education, Mr Festus Okoye, stated this on Thursday in Lokoja, while addressing participants at a three-day workshop on validation of INEC voter education manual.

He said that the workers needed to adjust so as to be in good position to communicate the changes to Nigerians.

There is the need for you to have a full grasp of the changes, internalise them and develop capacities to understand its intricacies.

You must understand the country and its peculiarities, and design communication strategies that are simple, creative, effective, forward-looking and targeted at the large and growing population that is adept in modern technology, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the workshop is being organised in partnership with International Federation for Electoral System (IFES).

In his remarks, INECs Director of Voter Education, Mr Nick Dajang, said that the workshop was aimed at reviewing the voter education manual, which, he said, was last reviewed in 2006.

He said that the workshop would afford the participants the opportunity of making inputs into the manual, stressing that the ultimate aim was to enable them own the document.

Dajang said that the review was to accommodate the changes that had taken place in the media sector, especially the social media.

At the end of the workshop, he said that participants, who are Heads of VEP in INEC offices in the 19 northern states, were expected to use the social media to communicate with Nigerians on electoral process, among others.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Prof. James Apam, urged participants to take advantage of the workshop to broaden their knowledge and get prepared for off-season elections, holding this year and in 2022.

In his speech, the IFES Country Representative, Mr Seray Jah, who was represented by Mr Simon Fato, described the workshop as timely and necessary, especially with the approach of the 2003 general elections. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Emmanuella Anokam
An asset management firm, JODOR Asset Management (J.A.M.), says it is anticipating more value driven investments to the tune of 1 trillion U.S. dollars in African commodity ecosystem in the next five years.

Mr Nduka Ofulue, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of J.A.M, made this known in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

Ofulue, a U. S. trained commodity Trading Manager, said that this would aid critical developments, sustainable jobs and stakeholders value in the country.

In view of achieving this set goal, he said J.A.M would hold its forthcoming Global Commodity Conference to spur value driven investments in Nigerian and African commodity ecosystem.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference, which will hold in Abuja from March 29 to March 30 has its theme as: Unlocking Value in African Commodity Markets.

Ofulue underscored the scope of the flagship summit in view of commodity sector developments within the U.S., China, Australia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan and Europe.

He said the conference was apt due to recent Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX) repositioning by Federal Government and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

He also noted that by 2025, China is expected to surpass the U.S as the worlds biggest economy with other Asian countries following Chinas lead.

According to him, J.A.M took the initiative to reschedule its GCC2020 Flagship summit to March 2021 as the summit will aid discussions among government agencies, think-tanks and various Chief Executive Officers.

He added that it would bring together private equity, investment and fund managers, policy experts, investors and other professionals to proffer solutions to macro-economic challenges.

The GCC2020 flagship conference will identify with the commodity trading market in a COVID-19 and post COVID-19 era.

It will profess initiatives and projects to ensure the continued development in Africa commodity investment market, Ofulue said.

According to him, this in essence will create jobs and sustainable employment of about 25 to 35 million for regional economies and spur growth of Gross Domestic Products.

Source: NAN News

By Mohammed Tijjani

Maj.-Gen Sagir Yaro, has officially assumed duty as the 30th Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) on Wednesday in Kaduna State.

The Academy Public Relations Officer, Major Bashir Jagira made this known in a statement issued on Thursday in Kaduna.

Jagira said Yaro took over from Maj.-Gen Jamil Sarham, who is now to proceed on a Senior Research Fellow course at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru, Plateau State.

According to the statement, Yaro, is a seasoned senior military officer of the Nigerian Army Corps of Engineers, and member of the 36th Regular Course of the NDA, he has held several appointments cutting across Command, Staff and Instructional.

He said before his recent appointment, he was the General Managing Director, Nigerian Army Welfare Limited by Guarantee (NAWLG).

While addressing Principal Staff Officers, Deans and Heads of Departments during the handing over ceremony, the outgoing Commandant, described the new Commandant as a regimental and thoroughbred Super Officer, who is endowed with vast exposure and experience, which he expects will be brought to bear in running the affairs of the Academy.

Sarham also assured the staff that, the new commandant would continue with the extensive infrastructural development ongoing at the Academy, as well as sustain the improvements that have been achieved in the quality of training of cadets under his tenure as Commandant.

He wished Yaro good health, Gods guidance and wisdom in the discharge of his duties as Commandant.

He also calling for support from military and civilian staff of the academy for the new Commandant.

Sarham further highlighted some of his achievements as Commandant to include the development of various infrastructural projects across the academy.

Marked improvements in the grooming and training of top quality cadets that are professionally responsive to the present challenges and equipped to meet both current and future needs of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

In his response, the new commandant, thanked God almighty and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, for finding him worthy of the enviable appointment as Commandant of NDA.

He applauded his predecessor on the various developmental projects ongoing in the academy and for the various innovative ideas he adopted during his tenure as Commandant of the NDA.

He, however, pledged to continue in the general improvement in the affairs of the academy, towards achieving the mission and vision of the NDA and that of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

Yaro urged staff of the academy to embrace team spirit in order to succeed in the important task of producing well trained officer cadets for the nation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report that highlights of the event was the signing of the handing and taking over notes.

The decoration of the Incoming commandant with the NDAs insignia and hoisting of the NDA Flag which marks the symbol of new authority in the academy was also observed. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Shedrack Frank

Bayelsa Government has enacted a law prohibiting open grazing of livestock in the state.

Gov. Douye Diri assented to the Livestock Breeding, Rearing and Marketing Regulation Law 2021 on Wednesday at the Executive Chamber of Government House, Yenagoa.

He said the essence of the law was to ensure harmonious living between cattle dealers and other inhabitants of the state and to forestall violent clashes being experienced in other parts of the country.

His words: Bayelsa welcomes all and sundry to eke out a living legitimately. The people of Bayelsa want to have a mutual and harmonious relationship with non-natives and natives.

The essence of the law is to avert and forestall any clash between herdsmen, farmers, natives and non-natives as experienced in some states, he said.

The law, according to the governor, stipulates that any herdsman found with arms, whether licensed or not, should be arrested.

He said that the law established a livestock management committee to regulate livestock activities in the state.
Members of the committee include the Commissioner for Agriculture, security agencies and youths.

From the commencement of the law, no person shall breed, rear or trade in livestock in the state in any other place as may be designated by the committee and approved by the state government.

The law prohibits movement of cattle on foot from other parts of the country into the state, inspection of livestock and certification by veterinary doctors at entry point into the state among others, he said.

Diri said that by assenting to the law, any person found engaging in open grazing of livestock on foot commits an offence and would be arrested and prosecuted with the livestock impounded.

The governor also signed into law the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law 2021.

He explained that the law was to prevent certain harmful practices against women and children.

He said with its enactment, Bayelsa has domesticated the Federal law, which had been in existence.

In his remarks, Speaker of the Bayelsa House of Assembly, Abraham Ingobere, while presenting the bills for the governors assent, said the livestock regulation bill was to prevent clashes between herdsmen and farmers.

Also giving an insight into the VAPP Bill, which was sponsored by Rep. Tare Porri, the Speaker said the aim was to eliminate violence against women and to also ensure speedy dispensation of justice. (NAN)

Source: NAN News