How to see the body of a civil defence officer in a grave not deep.
The dead body of a woman officer working for Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) who was found for 18 months, was found in a grave not deep in Obi Local Government Area in Benue State.
until now, Josephine Cynthia Inalegwu Onche, was working at the NSCDC office in Otukpo.
Cynthia is Idoma, and is Otukpo, just missed when she was planning her marriage.
Some of her workmen who did not want to write them names said her family members reported that she was not able to find him again when her marriage remained a little days.
What they said was that she was going to market to buy things as she prepared for her marriage, but she has not returned home since.
One of the office personnel of the dead person said while trying to find him reached, they did not see him until one other man came and showed them where he was buried.
The okadaman told family members that he was wanted to marry his children, using him to do rotual for money.
After the arrest of the man, the family members and security officers and security officers took the man to the Baba who did the ritual in Obi local government, before he went to the Baba who did the ritual in Obi local government, before he went into South-West State.
When police intercepted the husband and his herbalist in Otukpo, the family members of the dead have moved to the body where he was buried, and organised a burial for him on June 1, 2021.
Call, or answered messages sent to him on the incident, DSP Catherine Anene, was not able to carry.
The spokesman of the NSCDC in the state, Asc Ejelikwu Micheal declined to say anythimg when we met him, he said.
But an insider, who is an insider, said the news of the detained person has put sadness in the security peoples minds again.
In the review of the constitution: MURIC said sharia had been in SouthWest before Christianity entered.
The Muslim Right Concern has urged the Penticostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) to stop opposing Muslims, mind businesses.
The director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, said this on Sunday.
He said this following the warning given by PFN that any group should not use the review of the constitution which the senate is doing to carry shariah law into the south-west.
PFN and other Christian organizations know that shariah was in the south-west before christianity entered in 1842.
They were practising shariah in Ede, during the time of Oba Abeeb Olagunju (Abbeb is a Muslim name) and said:
The shariah court in Ede was still working in 1913, in Agbeni in the town.
He was taken to Agbongbon in 1914.
The shariah was used during the time of Oba Momodu Lamuye (Muhammad Lamuye), who died in 1906.
Even more, the nomba spokesman Akirun of Ikirun, Oba Aliyu Oyewole (deceased in 1912), took shariah into Ikirun in 1910.
All these are example that shariah has been spreading in Yorubaland, and to say that the Christian people also know that the Christian people have stopped shariah in Yorubaland, which they imposed Christian common law, Akintola said.
He said PFN and some other Christian fellowmen also know that Islamic waka has grown in the southwest, and fears catch them that the giant sleeping giant had woken to carry what belongs to him.
He said the Christians know that shariah is the right that Allah has given dash Muslims.
But they have determined that they will not allow Muslims to use it, which is the new way of use.
It is in mind that war is a fight between Muslims and Muslims, and that there is nothing bad in war.
They use both good and bad ways to do what they want.
Nigerians are calling on Nigerians to understand the mentalities of the Christian people here.
As it is for those who are quick vex, they believe that attacking people is the only way to defend them.
As they gained from the colonial jaguda that reached a century that time, they want to kip all the things they could have given them.
It is in mind that Muslims will be put into the places colonially chased by the colonialists.
The joint body of reviewing the constitution has urged Nigerians to write what they want in the constitution.
Each group should bring the things they need to come.
Instead of telling the fellow Christians what they want the christians to ask, it is what they think the Christians should not ask.
They want to block Muslims in the south, but it will not work.
He said religious tolerance in the south, is a lie, and they are saying it is a lie, and they are saying it should put Yoruba people in slavery.
Muslims in the region are openly asking for freedom.
We urge them to stop forced us to wear a Christian school uniform, to go to Christian schools, to use Christian law.
We want a shariah that does not cut peoples hands, but the shariah that will regulate Muslim marriages, inherritance and family affairs.
The thing is not concerning Christians at all.
We will use all the way that does not fight, which does not follow law, to do the thing, he said.
Stakeholders in Edo have said Obaseki is a party leader.
As the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State has a crisis of who will control the party, member or Edo South of the party, the state governor, Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu is good.
Edo South PDP in a communique issued at the end of the stakeholder meeting on weekend in Benin city, said Godwin Obaseki was the leader of the party in the state.
In the communiques read by the secretary, Wilson Evbuonwam, he said they support the harmonization and integration of new people into the executive committee of the party to make the state a better state.
Police have arrested a kidnapper in Abuja, collecting guns.
The FCT has arrested eight suspected kidnappers in Shenegu-Tunga Maje, Gwagwalada, Kabusa village and Durumi axis of Abuja.
The spokesman of the command, ASP Maryam Yusuf, who spoke on a siddon in Abuja, said the name of the suspect was Yakubu Ahmadu, Ibrahim Mallam Musa, and Bello Haruna.
She said the suspects were members of a syndicate linked to the kidnap attempt on the Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
Gwagwalada branch, Barrister David Aigbefoh.
She said the suspect was arrested during a coordinated intelligence operation by police personnel from the command anti-kidnapping squad in Shenegu mountain on the border of the FCT and Niger State.
She said the suspects were given good information on the activities they did in the group.
Yusuf later said he was arrested by a Nwite Jideofor who staged his kidnap from Durumi area, while the suspect confessed that he conceived with people who came kidnap him to collects reached 5 million from his sister as ransom.
She said some of the exhibits collected from the suspect were three dane guns, seven cutlas, one Honda Accord painted bleck, four mobile phones and other item.
She said all the suspects would be taken to court when they have investigated welwel, warning parents and guardians to draw ear for their children to commit crime.
Suarez strike, Atletico win La Liga title
The goal scored by Luiz Suarez has made Athletico Mardrid beat Real Valladolid 2-1 on Saturday, making the team get another remarkable La Liga victory.
Suarez was crying for the beking of the season seek of Barcelona to force him out, but as the season ended, his 21st goal in the season made Athleticoto win first league since 2014, this one win ahead of Real Madrid.
Athletico knows that if they win the trophy, they will win it, no matter what Madrid did at Villareal at home.
But it was not comfortable, as Valladolid take early lead.
Real Madrid were also behind in the game, before Karim Benzema equalised in 87 minutes, and Luka Modric scored a late winner in 2-1 at Valdebebas, which hanged Athletico for a long time, as it remained small to scatter the thing with just one goal.
When the final whistle was blown, players ran into the field, red and white shirts cover Suarez, seek of the end of the title race which was even more unpredictable.
Suarez Zone
It was just a week small.
Coach Diego Simone said this is the Suarez zone.
And that was proven, as the Uruguayan scored the title in Athletico hands last week, and then scored on the last day to write his name for the trophy.
This is the second time in 17 years that another team apart from Barcelona or Real Madrid won the league, while Athleti still won the other one under Simeone in 2014.
Athletico started the game, while on top of the table since December, and scored two goals in the last eight minutes to beat Osasuna.
But the fighting was not easy for Athletico this season, as they had 10 points lead in February, and the points reduced to 2 in May, and they positioned as no one on the table rely on making Real Madrid and Barcelona slip.
So it is not surprising that as they want to face Valladolid who are 19th in the table, they are still patching patches.
Plenty Athletico fans have gathered at Valladolid Plaza Mayor to sing a song, and many fans also reached outside of the stadium, where they moved to the outside of the stadium, where they moved to the outside of the stadium, where they left for no further damage.
Gulak's killing has caused people to shout.
People shout and mourn on sunday as they killed a bar.
Ahmed Gullak, a former adviser to former presidor Goodluck Jonathan on political matters, was often seen as an adviser to former presidor Goodluck Jonathan on political matters by those who carry guns.
Gulak was shot at Obiangwu village while trying to enter Sam Mbakwe airport in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, to enter Abuja.
It was yesterday evening the funeral parade for the politician from Adamawa who came into the national mosque in Abuja, after he was buried in the Gudu cemetary around 8pm.
Police in Imo State said at least six of the suspects who were killed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) members have been killed after fighting.
A statement by Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bala Elkana, said on 30 May, 2021, police personnel received calls that Ahmed Gulak, special force for police personnel, including Intellingence Response Team (IRT), Police Mobile Force (PMF), and tactical units from the command, were sent to the place at Obiagwu junction, Ngorokpala LGA of Imo State.
The instruction given to the team was to catch the people who did the thing, to face justice.
The alleged killing of Gulak, which the Imo police have stopped since yesterday.
He said, especially the driver of the Gulak's moto, which took it to the airport, had described the jaguda people, and the manner in which they used to carry out the jaguda waka.
They said the 2005 model was a silver-coloured Toyota Camry, which is a silver-coloured Toyota Camry, with a 1998 model and golden color.
Toyota Hilux painted white, and a Lexus 330 painted gold.
They did not put registration number, because of security matter.
As the killers were aware of the kind of persons, and the kind of motors carrying out the attack, they later told them the way the killers followed.
With some kind of lead, the team later established where the killers are.
The suspects were arrested in Afor Enyiogugu, in Anoh-Mbaise local government area.
It was when the jaguda people dusty the onion in a trailer confiscated by the confiscated onion in a trailer confiscated.
It was full of onions in the trailer from Northern Nigeria.
As the police officers saw the police officers, the fellow jaguda who were protecting their fellow jaguda started shooting guns to police officers.
The gallant and one ready for battle
Police officers also returned with gunshots.
The six jaguda suspects were killed, and four other members of the group were injured.
Three out of the four vehicles attacked Gulak.
Three Ak47 riffles, one pistol, five AK47 magazines with 92 rounds of live amunation, and criminal charm were collected from them.
The jaguda people are identified as members of the IPOB and ESN banned.
The driver, late Ahmed Gulak, and the surviving victims have identified the dead body of the IPOB/ESN member as being attacked, and the motor being collected as the same motor used.
During the face to face with the jaguda people, two armored personnel carriers belonging to police personnel were taken to gun scater, but they did not spoil finish.
and The video taken after the aftermath of the attack showed Gulak wearing a jean trouser, and a blue shirt as he slept in his own blood, near the abandoned car.
Gulak was the chairman of the Imo All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election that drew Hope Uzodinma into the seat of the party.
They even said he was close to the governor, visiting the state welcoming.
Why is he in Owerri?
Though Gulak has been visiting Owerri since Uzodinma has entered sit, it was to attend the public hearing of review of constitution held in the city for the last time.
As the committee had commenced its sitting, Gulak was sat back when other members of the committee were moved to the city on Friday.
Another close to Senator Orji Uzor kalu, who was chairman of the public hearing in Owerri, said the deceased was offered privately to Kalu after the siddon, but he refused.
According to the source, Kalu team left the city the day the public hearing ended, but Gulak stayed back, saying he had things to do in the city.
The source said, We departed Owerri on the day of the public hearing, and asked him to join us in our private jet, so that we had enough security with us.
But he said he had somewhere to do in the city.
Nigerians have carryed a knock to FG, and other political parties concerning the killing.
Nigerians in social media have also put their hand in ear to the federal government and police leaders over the killing.
A commenter on the Facebook link carrying the story published by Daily Trust, Ifeanyi Maduako, said the death of Gulak was bitter, linking it with politics.
The bitterness in my mouth welves.
It looks like it was done by politicians, and the people who did it, should open their faces.
The killing would expose those behind the security challenges in Imo State.
It was who invited him, and why he killed a northerner in Imo State.
I fear what will happen to innocent Imo people in some days in the hands of security people controled by the north,he wrote.
Another commentator in the thread, Olurombi Micheal Omo, said as police reports have proven that it is a political killing, they should investigate it further.
It is said that police officers also have questions to nswer to.
For his part, Comr Hassan Ahmad writes that the soul of innocent people is more important than the scam called Unity in Nigeria.
We will not gree this illiteracy, it is it, we are peacemakers.
But doe pushing us to meet the wall shows that we cannot continue with the peace.
I am sending a warning, we will retaliate and it will worsen.
Buhari you have failed us woefully, and we face the Imo police to follow the jaguda people.
Nasiru Inuwa also wrote that this was a wake up call to the big people in the north, beginning with innocent Fulani herders, now turning to northern government officials, plus prominent politicians.
Emma Powerful, a secretary of IPOB joined by the government, has said in a statement that IPOB should not link IPOB to the murder of Gulak.
So, we said IPOB did not know anythimg about the killing.
To begin with, Gulak is threatening our mission that has warranted us to kill him.
We didnt have anythimg with him, and we have not been killed.
To point hand to IPOB for this barbaric act is just to divert attention away from the real people who do it.
It is the same way terrorists in our security uniforms took committed atrocities in the southeast, and went to IPOB for crime, seeking to spoil our reputation.
This is an opportunity that has been found for a long time to start another special military operation in the Eastern Region to take more Biafra people innocent.
Instead of properly investigating the incident and causes of it, they have faced IPOB over crimes they did not do.
She knew IPOB had the information for the movement of the late Gulak to stop him on an airport road?
The group urged security personnel to first investigate a host Gulak, that is Hope Uzordinma, and his political opponents, to establish if they are involved.
Gulak will not escape punishment.
Presido, Muhammadu Buhari has said the people who killed Gulak and other wahala in the country would not be allowed to scot free.
Presido, Buhari, in a statement issued by a Twitter accounter, Garba Shehu, expressed outrage and disgust over the heinous murder.
The president, who has shown that the incident made him sad, said: I am repulsed by the gruesome murder of Gulak that was premeditated by evil people, who have detrminated to dabaru the peace, unity and territorial integrity of our country.
Allow me to warn that nobody, or a group of people doing such a thing that is despicable will expect to go free.
We will use everythimg we have to see that people who do such calous and criminal acts will face justice.
Akeredolu said Gulak is unacceptable.
Governor of Ondo State, Olwarotimi Akeredolu, described the news of the killing as shocking and disturbing.
In a statement signed by the Governor, he said this is a murder too many, saying things are senseless and wicked.
The people who do such a bad thing are enemy of the country.
The corner-corner way is to mislead, confuse and destroy.
He has the unmistakable, despicable imprints of fifth columnists bent on settinging the country on the path of conflagration.
They must not allow these criminals to succeed.
We want to use this medium to tell our brother, Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzordinma that we are with him.
We encourage him and other Governors in South Eastern states to brace up, confront the security challenges to end bloodbath in the country.
The enemy of the people often use weapons of fear to create disaffection.
The coward act is to instigate Nigerians to face each other, instigate northerners to face Igbo people living outside the South East.
We must face the enemy of the people, to see that we have taken power in their hands.
This is not time to argue who knows politically.
We should not allow bandits to spoil the legitimacy of this government at all levels.
We are calling on all security personnel to gather to see how they show the criminals sponsored and those who are doing terrorist acts.
They must be punished severely.
Fintiri mourns
The Governor of Adamawa State, Umara Ahmadu Fintiri, has said the way Gulak was killed shocked, saying he was a former speaker of Adamawa State.
Governor Fintiri said the death was painful, how wicked people take wicked reach.
Governor Fintiri said Late Gulak is a witty, determined, and a practical politician, which as he rises, is a result of his hardwork.
It is unfortunate that the death has been collected from us.
Hon Ahmed Gulak in a gruesome manner.
Gulak is a lively politician who follows every work and always has the interests of the country in his mind.
As he remembered his interaction with late Gulak, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri said he was a broda and mentor, and seek of a lawmaker, a human right fighter.
Madagali community lost better son
In a statement released by his Chief Press Secretary Hunwashi Wanisoukou yesterday, the governor said the country has lost one of the strong men who fight for human rights.
We all remember how passionate he fights for the people who have been sent to their homes, and those with no means.
ACF sentences the killing
Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has condemned the killing of Gulak, saying it is a major loss to our country.
The ACF in a statement issued by the national publicity secretary, Emmanuel Yawe, said it was sad to hear the killing of Gulak, described as a dynamic politician and progressive politician from everywhere.
If you like him, or you do not like him, that is your business.
Let God bless, and give his family and state, Adamawa, the ability to bear the loss.
The killing was part of the plan to repeat the coup in 1966 CNG.
The Coalition for Norther Groups (CNG) has described the killing of northern politician Ahmed Gulak, who was before before political adviser to former presidor Goodluck Jonathan, as a plan, and all the attacks against policemen in Southeast of Nigeria, were to try to repeat the coup that happened in 1966.
The CNg in a statement signed by its spokesman Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, said this is the reason norther part of the country cannot live with the southeast as one country, alleging that the violent way of the Indigenous People of Biafra, The eastern Security network (ESN), and other Igbo gangs fund, have confidence, by every part of the Igbo society, both home and the obodo oyinbo.
Westham hopes to reach top four have spoiled with how they lost to Everton.
Westhams hope to reach top-four has been spoiled because they did not play well against Everton hopeful to enter the European league on Sunday.
The goal scored by Dominic Caivert-Lewin in the 24th minute of their game showed that they had determined to win Westham who had made mouth finishing to score in that serious afternoon.
The closest Westham reached to equalize was when Vladmir Coufal shot a ball chop bar and Jerron Bowenno could not hit him back into post upon being on the goal post front.
People supporting Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo have shown that he is still back as a presidential candidate in the coming election.
Osinbajo said he did not want to be president
Vice-President Osinbajo said all the small words he had made of his mind to be president in 2023 Presidential Election were distraction.
However, those who are not convinced that Osinbajo eyed President post on the land.
Vice-president Laolu Akande, a Vice-president, said Vice-president has not declared his interest to be president in his statement on Monday.
The Vice-president office has put their eyes on a Website body.
supportosinbajo.ng calls Nigerians to join a volunteer group to support Prof Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, prepare for the 2023 Presidential election.
Details of the website and how they beg are full Whatsapp plus the fact that Osinbajo has declared interest in the 2023 election.
The vice president office does not have any connection with the group or the website standing for him and feels that the whole thing is a distraction that is not necessary.
Prof Osinbajo has not said he wants to be president in the 2023 election, he is focusing on working as Vice President of the current administration to face serious issues in the country.
We are asking our people to stop all the challenges facing us as Nigerians, to face the challenges facing us as Nigerians, to do well for our people, to have peace and prosperity in our land.
Ndidi and Iheanacho have made Nigeria proud again in Leicester City playing as they carry the Kontri flag shown off, which is why their team won the FA Cup.
NFF congratulates Ndidi Iheanacho for the FA Cup win over Leichester City
President of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF)
Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick, has sent a message to congratulate Super Eagles Midfielder Wilfred Ndidi and Forward Kelechi Iheanacho for their win in Leichester City against Chealsea hyped on Saturday.
FA Cup final in England
The two of them were on the march at Wembley and celebrated after the march with Nigerian flag as they joined the list of seven Nigerian players carrying the England Cup.
I am very happy for Ndidi and Iheanacho.
They worked well for Leichester City throughout the campaign and both them and their team deserve the honor.
I believe this win will work as high morale for them in the friendly march we are going to play this summer and the FIFA World Cup starting in September.
I also am happy with the Nigeria Flag which two of them celebrated when everythimg finished.
That is absolutely amazing.
Ndidi and Iheanacho were the second pair of Nigeria who celebrated the FA Cup in England, which came after Nwankwo Kanu and John Utaka win in Portsmouth against Cardiff in 2008, which came after Nwankwo Kanu and John Utaka win in Portsmouth against Cardiff in 2008.
Before that time, Daniel Amokachi had won in Everton in 1995; Celestine Babayaro was also in Chelsea in 1999; Kanu in Arsenal in year 2002 and John Mikel Obi in Chelsea in 2007.
After Kanu/Utaka win in 2008, John Mikel Obi won again for Chelsea in 2009, 2010 and 2012, Alex Iwobi won in Arsernal in 2017, Victor Moses also joined them to win in 2018.
When I was at the Federal Government College in Enugu in the early 70s, it was a train I used to transport myself from Kaduna to Enugu.
Djokovic warms up for Roland Garros with Belgrade title
Novak Djokovic has completed his warm-up with success in Roland Garros when he beat Slovakian Alex 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday in the final of the ATP Clay tournament in Belgrade.
This is the second event in the city for over one month when fans came, which was not like the Serbia Open that happened in April when the stadium dryed.
Djokovic said he has been playing for people front, a Belgrade winner who lost a semifinal in the Serbia Open which was 2011 when he won it last.
The herder-farmer crisis in Nigeria has turned to what is being reported in news every now.
To end Nigerias herder-farmer crisis: The Livestock reform Plan
Nigerias federal and state governments are struggling to implement a National Livestock Transformation Plan that aims to control cattle movement throughout the country to turn herders and farmers fighting.
Many state governments have endorsed it, but it faces some kind of challenge.
Political leadership that works well, perception about his purpose, budget constraints increasing because of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts who are not able to do the work and insecurity everywhere, block the progress.
If the plan fails as like the other plans to modernise livestock management, the farmer and herder fight will increase.
National Economic Council approved it in January 2019, the plan was to represent the effort that people would understand more to examine the poor livestock system.
The main part of the strategy is to control where grazing happens, so that the fight between herders and farmers can be reduced.
The movement hopes that after 10 years, herders moving up and down mainly will have the mind to put their cattle in ranches and reserves for public grazing, where breeding farms and other mechanised livestock management will support what the sector will produce.
By the end of 2028, the authority had in mind to build like 119 ranches in all the states involved, to use it to create more than two million jobs in the livestock production, processing and market chain.
President Muhammadu Buhari administration made the plan after a period where herders and farmers were fighting, particilarly when the fight was to much and affected people in ghettos in 2018.
The Federal Government, with a mindset to drop over 80 percent of the Transformation proposals submitted by the states involving, has taken the first step to practice what they plan, including technical support to help state prepare for starting work, such as field surveys and site mapping.
Many states have reactivated grazing reserves, open offices, and set up a steering committee to manage the plan.
The authority has been doing workshop and other work to teach people the benefits of livestock reform.
As two years have come out of the 10-year plan, they have not built any ranch and there are many obstacles.
Another opposition from the herders, though it was from the Fulani people earmarked, is still among the farmers who don't want to enjoy the benefit of the plan, spoiling the reform effort.
There has been distrust in the Middle Belt, a place where fight between farmers and herders is too much because of land, even though peacemaking and efforts by the military since 2018 have reduced the blood shed.
Shortages have been in the federal and state government budgets, a small part because of the economy that was spoiled by the pandemic, and because the country has no technical experts who know how to manage ranch and grazing reserves.
In many states, especially in the North-West, the growth of criminal ganges and armed groups often spoils access to grazing reserves and makes people want to invest before doing so.
Unless it is done about it, these problems and other ones may delay or spoil the plan, which will make the country more helpless when the fight between farmers and herders is seriouser than before, which can turn to a fight between ethnic groups, region and religion.
To tackle this problem, it is important that Federal and State authorities join hands to make efforts, with donors and investors help.
First, make Abuja and other states supporting it provide political leadership that is stronger than before, and increase their communication with public, so that they can spoil people doubt and wrong understanding of the plan.
This is commoner for pastoralists on their side, who asked them to change their nomadic lives with their people for centuries, who still have serious doubt that the plan promises about pasture are lies.
But many farmers fear they will lose their land to farmers who produce livestock.
Many people in the middle Belt and other states in the South still suspect the plan long-term goals, seen as an opportunity for herders and the Fulani people particularly.
With the support from Abuja and other partners, state governments will need to find experts, who will know technical aspects of matters, especially those who manage the ranch and grazing reserve, dairy production and meat processing.
Let the Federal and State governments seek to increase their budget for the plan, release the fund quickly and create financial transparency to ensure everything is accounted for, working with donors and investors necessary.
It is important to deal with insecurities in rural areas, curb impunity and rehabilitate communities affected by the fight in the states participating.
Authorities should consider weather change, decide if herders from other countries sometimes benefit from the plan.
As some of these steps take time, make the planned people focus on how to bring a strong result, which can be seen in a short time.
less than two years from now, the country will hold a general election.
If the plan will survive the change of government that will follow, politicians must bring proof that it has benefit (Change is certain, as president Buhari and many state governors will not be able to compete again as they have served two terms).
By the time the elections have been hot in 2022, the people backing the plan should show some of the ranches built or the reserve repaired, strong donors and their investors commitment and the first group of professionals training to be professional in Livestock management.
Not all in this thin is easy but the plan is worth the effort.
Not perfect, but it brings a chance to change Nigerias livestock system with a strategy that addresss needs both herders and small-scale farmers.
About 70 percent of Nigerians work in Agriculture are getting money from Agriculture.
To modernise the Livestock sector will boost the countrys prosperity and at the same time, it is a big way to solve one of Nigerias dangerous challenges.
As time is reaching for the 2023 election, both federal and state authority must do quickly to see what they are doing, or else all their work to create this kind of moment of opportunity will spoil.
This is an executive summary of the report on the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) and how its work goes fast, the International Crisis Group published it.
The kind of conversation I had with the king
Abi you are not greeted?
It is responsible for very high proportions of food and crop production.
Subsistence farmers are the smallholders who consume the majority of their farm output that have been holgled back to participate actively in commercially oriented agriculture by a variety of constraints.
No energy for anyone who is not happy for me.
It was me who got it.
This brings me to a conclusion that everyone is evil.
This system has been characterised as complex, diverse and risk-prone.
Farms are always small, they do it under traditional or informal tenure, and it is marginal risk-prone environments.
Yields are low and farmers are lacking the capacity to increase yields.
We spoke of life and prosperity this day.
Waya your azam
The emphasis is on agricultural productivity, production enhancement and commercialising farming as an enterprise.
I know every-ever.
Akpos and his friends sit-down, he said.
The yields of the smallholder farmers are profitable.
You are here.
This challenges have led to many smallholder farmers, to pursue livelihoods with lower-risk and lower-yielding agricultural activities.
You are a witch?
I am on my road to sabo I am going to buy food.
I should call my father.
As developing countries grow larger, richer, and more urban, the intensification of agricultural production will occur in rapidly changing agri-food value chains.
As far as I am going to come, I am going to be here.
This development shifts the competitive advantage away from petty farmers.
It is important to find a solution to the problem.
This will require an intergrated approach of methodologies.
The loan sharks have been on his neck.
This is a good thing.
They sent me errands where I am working.
The water has flooded the whole farm.
farmers battle in 2020
For many farmers and other stakeholders in the agro-sector, the year 2020 will remain as one of the worst years in the history of Nigeria because it introduced new dynamics that millions of smallholder farmers will contend with.
Many challenges have been confronting the agricultural sector ranging from the issues climate change-related, conflicts and complications exacerbated from the global COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought pain and heartbreak to farmers and agribusiness players.
First, the COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions happen at the time that dry season farmers should harvest their crops and wet season farmers should begin cultivation.
Many farmers cannot go to their farms while others have labourers to harvest their farms since mechanization is a huge challenge and manual harvest is the problem.
Movement restrictions have been introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus locked-down markets that have disrupted the rural economy.
Many farmers cannot sell their produce which would enable them to buy seed and fertilizer, pay labourers/tractor services.
Even when the lockdown in the agricultural sector has lifted the lockdown in the agricultural sector, the price of fertilizer has rose so that many smallholders cannot afford it.
In some places the price has rose to N13,000 for a bag of Indorama and Notore Urea.
NPK 15-15-15 rose to N25,000 when the federal governments NPK20-10-10 under the presidential fertilizer initiative, which is supposed to sell for farmers at N5000 is not available in many places and areas where the price is rising reaching N7,000 and higher than this in some places.
For farmers in Zamfara, Katsina, southern kaduna, some parts of Kebbi and Sokoto states, bandits activities not only denied them access to their farms but the men also killed many in their farms.
Many farming communities were razed down.
People were kidnapped and demanded ransom
Many people pay a large sum of money or surrender large portions of their harvest to the bandits.
Many villages in those states have become desolate.
The agric sector has witnessed one of the worst disasters when one of the worst disasters when flood wiped out 450,000 hectares of rice and maize fields estimated at over N3.5 billion in Kebbi, Sokoto and Kano states.
Many of the affected farmers are yet to be compensated as their livelihood has been destroyed.
The flood has worsened since the 2012 disater that wrecked havoc across most of Nigeria's coastal and flood-prone areas that killed people and washed away farmland.
Meanwhile, as the flood brings pain to farmers heart up in the North, the drought confronts farmers down south.
For two months, farmers did not have joy but watch as their investments in crops have gone away.
No disguise
Another subsector hit badly is poultry and feeds.
The scarcity of maize in the begining has caused prices to increase.
It has also forced poultry associations in Nigeria to send save our soul appeal to the federal government for urgent atention.
The federal government responded to the appeal and release 5,000 metric tons of maize from the nations strategic reserve for farmers in addition to grant some of the big players licences to import about 222 metric tons of maize to augment the shortfall in the feed industry.
However, this is just a short-term solution because three months have passed, the scarcity of soyabean struck, thus the farmers expressed fear that by january 2021, the industry will shut down completely.
The scarcity resulted in a serious feed crisis in the industry as prices have reached a high record in its history as prices rose from N2,600 in February to about N5,500.
The poultry industry lost an estimate of N7 million jobs with figures projected to 10 million by january 2021 whereas the loss of investments conservatively is about N1.5 trillion.
While the poultry farmers still struggle with the challenges that mar the sector, the crop farmers despite the daunting challenges confronting the sector in the 2020 farming year, get buyers right up to their farms even before harvest to make bulk purchase arrangements.
This is the first time the price of grain did not come down at harvest time, sparking fears of hunger and the call to reopen the border, which would allow influx of products smuggled through the country's porous borders.
The name of the lord is a strong tower.
3,000 youths benefit from NALDA's farm estate in Ebonyi
The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has said the agency would engage at least 3,000 youths in Ebonyi State in its proposed intergrated farm estate in the state.
The intergrated farm estate will be completed and commissioned by October this year.
The executive secretary of the agency, Prince Paul Ikonne, who announced it on Tuesday said the proposed integrated farm estate would be established on 104 hectares of land donated by the state government.
Prince Ikonne, also in Ebonyi State in a courtesy visit to the governor on Monday, Engr David Umahi, said the intergrated farm estate would be completed in October 2021.
This is the mandate for Mr President, to reactivate abandoned farms and develop new ones for security.
The Governor of Ebonyi State is eager
He was total support of achieving his dreams.
So, Ebonyi State has committed to working with NALDA to engage the teeming youths into full agricultural productivity.
We have seen that the governor has keyed into Mr Presidents agenda concerning achieving food security in the country.
We are establishing an intergrated farm estate in Ebonyi State as we do it in other states.
The scheme will engage Nigerians and draw their attention to agriculture.
From Jude Owuamanam (Owerri), Lami Sadiq (Kaduna), Bola Ojuola (Akure), Abdullateef Salau, Muideen Olaniyi, Abbas Jimoh & Idowu Isamotu
New Presidency in Niger Republic has chook a hand for terrorists eye on committing crimes.
Niger Republics new President Mohamed Bazoum has put hands on barbaric act beyond limits after his entry into power on Friday in a country facing two jihadist insurgents.
Bazoum said the groups were killing a lot of innocent people, and by that, they were committing real war crimes.
He said the leaders of the groups came from other countries, saying they were just attacking Niger for nothing.
He said no terrorist leader has any vex with the country.
Bazoum, 61 years old, was elected in two rounds held in December and february.
Right hand pesin of Mahamadou Issoufou, 68, stepped down by hisself after his two-year term in office.
It was the first time elected leaders handover each other in Niger history for over 60 years of independence, but the attack from jihadists and some kind of plan to do a coup has spoiled the celebration.
Niger is suffering an insurgency closely connected to Al-qaeda or Islami State (IS), which is coming west from Burkina Faso and Mali, and from Nigeria as Boko Haram enters from southeast.
It was over 300 people killed in three attacks in the west since the year.
The most recent incident was when 141 members of the Tuareg community were killed on March 21, in Tahoua, a big desert in Mali.
Bazoum described the efforts of Niger Rebuplic under him as the presido will focus on Mali.
He said the current situation in Mali has a direct impact on security in its own country.
Insurgents linked to IS have their bases in Menaka and Gao, eastern and central Mali, Bazoum said.
He said the fight would be very difficult as long as Mali as a country has no full charge over the region.
In the early hours of Wednesday, after shooting guns near the presidency in Niamey, the government said it had stopped the coup.
He described the thing as an act of a coward and regressive treaty to democracy and state of the law.
Four coups in the country in West Africa have suffered, the most recently assaulted in Februry 2010, and he was removed by President Mamadou Tandja.
Google says they could move from Australia
Google has threatened to remove the search engine in the country as the country has told its users to share gains with those who publish news.
Australia wants to introduce a law that is the first of its kind as they want Google, Facebook, and other tech companies to pay newsmen for the content they bring.
But the firms in the US have been fighting back, warning that they could leave their services in the country.
Oga Prime Minister in Australia, Scott Morrison, said lamakers would not listen to any threat.
Although Australia is not one of the big places where Google takes marketed things, this proposed news code could be a global test of how governments will begin regulating big tech firms.
This code in Australia will tie Google and Facebook, to negotiate with publishers over the worth of their news content if they cannot reach agreement at the beginning.
The managing Director of Google in Australia, Mel Silva told a Senate sitting on Friday that the law would not work.
She said if this kind of version of the code becomes law, Google would not have any choice than to pack out in Australia.
But lawmakers were attacked, saying it was blackmail and bullying by Google in Australia seeks to raise the reform.
It will reach everythimg in the world.
When will you come to every market, you will come?
Senator Rex Patrick asks why are they want to stop the precedence?
Silva added that the code is a risk that is not tenable for operations in Australia.
Morrison said his government is committed to making the law for progress through parliament this year.
Let me be clear: Australia is making a rule of what you can do in Australia.
It is in our parliament we are doing that, he told newsmen on Friday.
Why is Australia pushing for such a law?
Google is the dominant search engine in Australia, and the government has described it as an essential utility that does not have any market competition.
The government argument is that because the tech giant has a customer among people who want to read news, they should pay a good amount to newsrooms for journalism.
In addition, they argued that the financial support is necessary or embattled news industry because strong media are vital to democracy.
According to the Government, print media in Australia have suffered 75% reduction in money since 2005.
The threat of Google to remove the entire seach engine is even more tough.
The lawmakers said news only accounted for 12.5% of the searches taken by Google in Australia.
Poultry farmers are begaging to begin importing animal grade maize and soya meals.
Dr Olalekan Odunsi, General Secretary of South West Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), has called on government to facilitate import of animal grade maize and soya meal.
Odunsi said the importation could save the poultry business from collapse.
He said the importation of feed grade maize will sustain the over 500 million layers, 100 million broilers, 1 million breeders and other class of poultry until next harvest.
He also urged governments to not allow soya, seed and soya bean meals to be processed.
He urged governors in the region to effort in the production of maize as they did in the production of rice.
Odunsi pointed out that maize farmers, soya bean farmers and those remaining in Nigeria need to collabo to take work.
He said if government does not intervene, scarcity and rising prices of maize and soya would threaten another five million poultry jobs if government did not do anythimg about it.
Today, there is 210,000/MT of maize sold in most states in South West, while the cost is 240,000/MT.
As the two items take an important reach, the price of poultry feed just rose from N2750 to N3000 in April N2020 to N4850 to N5300 now.
In December, most farmers could not sell their broilers because the cost of production is less than what ordinary Nigerian person can buy.
Presently, egg prices are far above what an average person can buy, the price is around 1,300.
So we really need to intervene to save the remaining ten million jobs in the poultry value chain of the economy.
He said.
Reps supporting Buhari in APC suspended
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has suspended the member of House of Representative representing Kazaure federal constituency in Jigawa State, Muhammad Gudaji Danbaffa for six months.
In addition, the panel has formed a panel with seven members to probe the allegation of insurbursation charged the member with, plus make recommendations in ten days.
Hamza Dand headed the committee, where Sanusi Kaaure was secretary.
In the petition to suspend the lawmaker, the chairman of the local government, claimed that when he decided to suspend Gudaji, his constituents in Kazaure Yama ward started it, and local government seized hand.
Our correspondent reports that the lawmaker was suspended because he criticised the governor, saying the governor would change the candidate they want in the chairmanship and councilorship primaries which they just vote.
Serena cruises past teenager Pigato in Parma Wta
Serena Williams brushed aside the challenge of local teenager Lisa Pigato in the opening round of the WTA tournament in Parma on Monday.
Williams, a nomba in the world, beated Pigato ranked 572 and making her WTA debut 6-3, 6-2, in the first meeting between the two of them.
How North-Central governments can optimize open grazing ban from South APC leader
As open grazing controversy erupted into public domain, which Southern governors have hit with a ban during their meeting in Asaba, the president, Farmers Empowerment Association in Nigeria (FEAN), plus Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) North-Central Forum in FCT, Honourable Obaje David, has examined how the North-Central governors can respond to the ban.
Recently, the governors of Southern State met in Asaba, Delta State, and banned open grazing to cut farmers-herders crisis plus include other forms of criminality.
What are your thoughts on the controversy that this decision generated?
Every human being has a right to action and opinion.
But the most important thing is that once you take your own action, you know the consequence will be.
You should consider the advantages and disadvantages.
I am not one of those who will say it is good or bad.
As a Nigerian, it is your right and liberty to live anywhere in the country with good faith and enjoy the freedom of association.
For this basis, I will not tell you that is a good thing.
But as a leader in North Central, I will say it is a good thing, especially in the North central zone, as per the potential economic benefit for us and the nation.
The ban is an advantage to us.
We need to tap into it and see how it can be a real venture and make money from it.
Luckily for us, we have a landmass sufficient to accommodate the herders, no matter the number of troops from the South into the North Central.
What is your position about open grazing?
I am not one of the people who support open grazing.
I believe more in ranching, because it is my job.
I believe that if we begin doing ranching, it will work out for us.
Let the governors of North Central allow the national programme on ranching.
This move could make Nortj Central the place where cows are abundant, where people can buy cows and other allied products.
It will also be a means of economic empowerment, for north central people.
We have the land that southern states cannot have.
Also see in Kogi, Niger, Kwara, plus other states.
We also gave the herders houses, and ranches to be our own advantage.
The challenges that follow the Fulani herders are not because they want to adopt ranching.
The problem is that they are not really educated on the advantage.
The culture is nomadic.
As a result, they need better education to accept ranching.
We can also adopt the method in Kenya, where almost all families have cows, but you can still see open grazing, as cows take a lot there reach.
This is what the southern governor said.
The governors did not show where they belong in this regard.
They did not call for ranching or to say that the federal government should put a mouth.
What they say is that the herder people have become a problem for us, and leave them.
She said herders should apply for land, saying herding is a personal business.
But why have they asked people to apply for land like the herders?
As one of the participants in youth empowerment, especially in agriculture and value chains, why some government policy did not work, what is the way out?
Firstly, no other administration has been able to touch the lives of individuals like one of President Muhammadu Buhari, who can sit in your house without wahala and apply for facility and you will get it.
Also, there are some credit facility called COVID-19 loans.
Many Nigerians have been collecting the loan for plenty hundreds of thousands of naira from their homes without going to offices.
Also, with expanding some SMEs like the Bank of Industry (BOI), Bank of Agriculture (BOA) and the remaining.
The challenge is that we have two sides, one that will believe you and one that will not believe.
So, for those who do not believe in the administration of Buhari, there is no benefit.
But for us who believe in Buhari, we are benefited, and we thank God for it.
Kidnappers kill driver, carry 13 people in Nasarawa
Kidnappers have killed Adamu Usman, and 13 others near Shafa-Abakpa-Umaisha road in Toto Local Government Council of Nasarawa State.
Daily Trust learnt that he was shot three times in his abdomen and died around 9pm at university in Abuja Teaching Hospital where he and another driver Atahiru Abukwo were receiving treatment together.
Another driver who narrowly escaped the attack Ibrahim Saidu said it happened at 5pm on tuesday, when plenty kidnappers with AK47 came from the bush to waylay four moto from Ugya village.
According to him, the kidnappers waylaid the vehicle and shot gun in a moto carrying people from Ugya to Abaji.
He said the kidnapper was surrounded by the vehicle after drivers lost control drive into the bush.
13 passengers including a woman who was not too old in the bush as they pointed guns to them.
In fact, you were driving behind the four motos, God save me to carry someone in one of the villages.
As I came to him I heard that they were shooting guns, so I turned back.
The Ohimegye of Opanda-Umisha, His Royal Majesty (HRM), Usman Abdullahi, said some bandits remaining in the forest were responsible for kidnapping of travelers, resident and some farmers in the area.
He said some bandits still remain and they are doing terror in the community, appealing to state and federal governments to collaborate to flush them out.
As we contacted the spokesman of the Nasarawa State Police Command, ASP Ramhan Nansel, he said he would follow the Divisional Police Officer in Toto Local Government Area, and would follow news outlets again.
It was arrested a man who went on a road in Lagos.
The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a Victor Ebhomenyen suspected of driving following one way at Four Point Hotel, Oniru in Lagos State.
Ebhomenyen also assaulted and caused severe injury in ASP Erhator Sunday body at Four Point Hotel, Oniru, Lagos.
This is in a statement signed by Lagos Police Command spokesman CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement signed by Lagos Police Command spokesman CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi.
He said the command called on the command to set the record concerning.
The incident which was recorded in a video which went viral on Saturday April 17.
He said two men were assaulted by ASP Erhator Sunday, officer on duty, and created a scene on the road at Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos State.
Adejobi said the prime suspect, Victor, had entered the police net at State Criminal Investigation Department Panti, for investigation and prosecution as and when due.
He said the command is making efforts to arrest the suspect, who was Etinosa.
Gbajabiamila welcomes Ayade defeat as PDP urge members to stay unite
The Speaker in the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, has shown satisfaction as the Governor of Cross River State, Prof. Ben Ayade, took defect into the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the party open to everyone.
Gbajabiamila in a statement on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, said what Ayade did has shown that APC are the party to beat in the country.
The Speaker said the Cross River State governor has made the correct decision and has shown a good example for the remaining ones to follow.
He said the ruling party remained open to all, calling on Nigerians to join the APC to move the country forward.
The Speaker said APC will continue to be just and fair to all members.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), when reacting to the defect of Ayade, urged members in Cross River State to stay unite.
In a statment signed by the party spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan, our party is calling on all critical stakeholders and teeming members of our party in Cross Rivers State to immediately pull together and ensure that all structure of our party in the state remains intact.
The PDP wishes Governor Ayade well in his new political waka as well as in his future endeavours.
The forensic Bill passed by the National Assembly: It is relevant to the fight against corruption that Buhari is doing.
The National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Wednesday 19th.
May 2021 in the House of Representatives and Tuesday 2nd.
March 2021 in the Senate made history when it passed into law, the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria Bill, 2021 (SB.615 and HB).
791), after reading it for the Third Time in both Chambers (SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE).
This act is a clear demonstration of the patriotism and direct response of the National Assembly, which was targeted, plus strengthening and re-invigorating national frontiers in the fight against fraud, corruption and cybercrimes, which have entered our country a long way.
Following this bill, the 9th Assembly under the distinguished and able leadership of His Excellency, Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, PhD, CON and Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiala has shown clearly that they have carryed their legislative function in head, as it was in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended.
And this also attests to the fact that the National Assembly has woken to the performance of their complementary role with other arms of Government in the fight against corruption.
It was with a deep sense of gratitude that I wrote this, which has been put to date as a platform for us to let Nigerians and indeed the whole world know what the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria is all about and the unique concept we are bringing on board in order to complement national efforts in its quest to ride the country of corruption, fraud and Cyber-Crimes and other related crimes.
After the Senate passed the Bill, and in view of operating a bi-cameral Legislature, the House of Representatives is always ready and resilient, under the able leadership of His Excellency, Rt.
Femi Gbajabiamila, Hon.
The speaker also followed what they did and passed the Bill on Wednesday 19th May, 2021.
As you have heard before, the Bill to establish the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria (CIFIPN) is among the bills that have been voted NO to in the National Assembly.
The sad thing is that people who are supposed to put mouths in the fight against corrupt waka in Nigeria are attacking the bill, they have turned to enemy in common places.
Good thing is good, there is no substitute, it is a bad thing.
No matter how long it is, good always prevails over bad just as the light superior ova darknes take constant and unquestionable.
It is important that we see little of what happened in the National Assembly.
It is interesting that the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria (Est) Bill 2021 (CIFIPN) was the 9th Senate first passed into law on the 2nd day of March, 2021 as it was done pass the legislative processes of 1st Reading, 2nd Reading and eventual in the 3rd Reading on the 2nd March, 2021 senates passed the Bill into law with one voice when the urgent need for the noble legislation, of which it was not without plenty of thunderbolts from detractors who did not stop at any lenght to see that any legislation that would help the administration led to fight corruption would not see light of day but senates stand welwell and see it through.
It is very important for public to know that (CIFIPN) is not just a noble body but a new one in Nigeria targeted to bridge the gap in the forensics space.
Today, the waka to have a standard body to regulate the practice of forensics in Nigeria is at its peak and urges Nigerians to rise to challenge the few anti-government bodies that intend to sabotage this step.
This bill passed by the National Assembly, showed clearly that they are patriotic and the need to strengthen national efforts against corruption, which has been standing to block development in every aspect of our national lives.
This good step in the implementation of legislation, taken by the two Chambers of the National Assembly, is historic and symbolic, happening at a time when Nigeria is needing legislation.
That will give a good way for his anti-corruption drive as the spate of criminal and corrupt wakas rise across the globe.
As we all know, crime has entered another level as science and technology have improved in the 21st century.
Therefore, passing the bill was good and done at a good time, plus it showed clearly that we have a flexible and responsive legislature that knows the things happening around the world and are ready to do legislation that meets the needs of Nigerians.
However, the journey in the process of passing the bill to turn to law, has started since the 8th National Assembly, where Distinguished Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan Ph.D, CON, current Senate President, sponsored our bill, when he was Senate Leader, because it is important to the anti-corruption waka of this administration.
In good understanding, when we introduced our bill in the two chambers during the 8th Assembly, there was a public hearing that took everyone along in the chamber.
Thereafter, and because minority stakeholders opposed the bill, the National Assembly passed the bill, with view of its significance and its role in the fight against corruption.
Afterwards, the bill was forwarded to another Presido, to put in hand, but it was not put in hand before the 8th Assembly in June 2019.
On this stretch the bill was brought into the 9th National Assembly, by Distinguished Senator Abdullahi A. Yahaya, the current Leader of the Senate, in view of its importance.
We are pushed to make this clarification in order to clear the air on the cheap cheap propaganda that people distract us saying the 8th Assembly has rejected our bill.
Also, we should mention the fact that we have mistaken our bill with other similar bills introduced in both the Senate and House of Representation Chambers.
This bill, as we scrutinize them with a close eye, we discovered that they just copy our intentions and the essence of our bill.
We should draw a hearing that they did not introduce any of the bills in the 8th Assembly, it was only our bill.
As such, we are the first to carry a bill to a huge reach (Forensic).
As we have seen it is very urgent to establish such a great Institute.
The decision to establish the Institute was made after studying how the Institute operate in other jurisdictions and how it has helped crime detection, investigation and prosecution.
It is part of instruction to ensure that our Institute has been established since 2009.
And over the years, we have trained professionala to know forensic science technology, targeted at inculcating the requisite skills in the pragmatic areas of forensic investigation and management, including:
Allowing forensic analysis to eliminate material misstatement, whether it is by error or fraud; voice recognition analysis; fingerprint/signature analysis; digital forensic and cybersecurity; crime scene investigation; global anti-corruption compliance and enforcement; litigation support, forensic investigation capacities, preparation of forensic reports, fraud risk management, corporate fraud analysis, fraud prevention, detection and investigation etc.
You will follow me reason that in the modern world of today, the normal way of investigating crime, on to say we want to stop it has become an old thing.
As such, for a country to do something that has meaning in this matter, it is paramount to follow global trend and new innovations, which are put on the ground to fight corruption.
This is the way we take reason to establish this Institute that has a certain objective that is relevant to the anti-corruption agenda of this administration.
Time is not too much for me to talk about anything in the bill here.
However, I want you to allow me to mention few of what the Bill would do, for the purpose of this statement, as it would be like this:
That we should establish a Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals in Nigeria, to develop and train professional in this specialised field, with systemic and professional examinations and certification that will give better skills in use of science and technology in fraud detection, investigation and detection;
To provide a platform to train and retrain of professional citizens on how to use Forensic Science and Technology tools and techniques to investigate fraud in both the public and private sectors of the economy, as they do everythimg;
To promote high professional standards, ethics and etiquettes among people, in a bid to cut fraudul and corruption rates, and as well develop a mechanism for fraud prevention, as a proactive measure against corruption generally;
To fill the huge vacuum that exists in our old system of investigation with the introduction of a unique operation of forensic science to help the country from expending its scarce foreign exchange to hire foreign expatriates to do forensic investigations in Nigeria;
To develop broad-based mechanisms and training programmes that will cut across all the strata of our investigation architecture, involving professionals such as Lawyers, Criminologists, Security Experts, Judicial Officers, Court Registrars, and Economists.
This will enhance effective plus efficient disposition of cases as they take to do it globally; and and
To enhance anti-fraud mechanism in Nigeria, through the provision of a legal framework for the professional development and discipline of forensic and investigative professionals in Nigeria, among others.
From the foregoing, it has shown that the role of this Institute is strategic and important.
It is also important to say that forensic science is very wide and involves many others, and it requires effective and efficient regulation to attain and sustain high level professionalism and ethical standards.
The broad spectrum of the scope and focal point of the Institute, includes but not only forensic toxicology; forensic investigation; forensic auditing; digital forensics and cybercrimes, forensic autopsy; forensic law; forensic accounting; forensic nursing; forensic pathology; forensic engineering; forensic psychology; forensic DNA analysis; forensic anthropology; forensic linguistics; forensic deontology; forensic dentistry; forensic archeology; forensic graphology, forensic entomology, etc.
Accordingly, you will agree that our Institute has brought unique concepts into crime detection and investigation that follow international best practices.
The concept as myopic people take a thing about our bill cover the sense of thingkin, due to narrow-mindedness and inordinate desire to monopolise a system, beyond its jurisdiction and scope of operation.
On a lighter note, I want to draw the attention of everyone to the funny scenario that is playing out now, and as a matter of fact, it should be a source of concern for all beta Nigerians.
When the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria Bill was introduced in the 8th National Assembly, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), came out with anger to oppose the passage because according to them, it is an unnecessary duplication of functions by the Institute.
However, as we have introduced our bill again in this 9th National Assembly, and as we have seen the overwhelming and accelerated legislative support of the two Chambers gave our bill, ICAn has realized that forensic science is a unique field of practice, and as we talk, they have brought similar Bills to the House of Representatives, as they have failed wofully attempting to stop the passage of this bill.
What has changed between now and the past, where ICAN has the view to not regulating the practices of forensic science?
Your answer is the same thing with my own.
I also like to inform you that the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), is also part of this episode.
which was initiated and promoted by ANAN. While ICAN counterpart, they also introduced a bill in the House of Representative in the same structure with the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Certified Fraud Examiners of Nigeria Bill, which was initiated and promoted by ANAN.
I decided to talk all the fact that Nigerians and even the international community should understand the extent to which some people can go and achieve their aims.
However, this development has not disturbed us at all, because we believe in the credibility and ability of the National Assembly and also of the Presidency to do the right thing, not to enter manipulate in any way, with these unnecessarydistractions, to make no mockery of doing the whole thing.
It is ICAN the practical and antagonist of this bill and we have seen the reason now.
Several bystanders engaged several bystanders into writing bad petitions, even targeting the leadership in the Senate, and it sounded like bleckmail.
As they have failed in the Senate, the antagonist shifted attention to the House of Representatives with the same bystanders as just writing many many books.
And again, they fail.
Ordinarily according to legislative procedure, a bill passed by the Senate only requires concurrence by the House except when there is observation.
But in the case of the CIFIPN Bill, the people against it fighted until truth went in the 19th day of May, 2021 when the House of Representative passed the Bill establishment of the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria for Effective Regulation, Registration of Members and Determination of what the Standard Knowledge and Skils of a Member must have and Qualify to Practice as Forensic and Investigative Professionals; and in other Matters (HB. 791).
ICAN have registered their own Bill in the House of Respresentatives titled (REPEALING AND RE-ENACTMENT OF ICANS ACT).
The new Bill which ICAn brings contained full provisions for practice of forensic, including the need to establish a forensic university in Nigeria, and without it, nobody can practice forensics in Nigeria, and without it, nobody can practice forensics in Nigeria, and those who violate it will enter prison for some years.
This sounds strange in our eyes in a country with a lot of eyes.
It makes me think Nigeria is not Banana Republic.
No matter the level of coruption there.
We have been challenging as House of Representatives passed the bill.
We should note that, as we challenge the bill not only because we are certain that the purpose of the bill is to stop presidential assent under the disguise that similar legislation has been before.
We will not be able to deceive us and Nigerian people with their actions.
You will remember how ICAn took an open eye to oppose the CIFIPN and in a pubication sponsored by the Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria led by Engr.(Chief)
Olumuyiwa Alade made a lot of effort to tell us that the law which enabled ICAN gave him the power to do forensics and pass the CIFIPN Bill would be just a duplicate law, but today ICAN has presented a law to include forensics in the new law.
The question is, What has changed?
The same law of ICAN which ICAN has told the public that it has forensics and seeks to re-enact it.
As always, as we do not oppose any group proposing to include forensics in the law, our concern is that one body should not try to perpetuate hisself.
ICAN and its cohorts have realised their inability to stop the passage of CIFIPN.
So they want to have a union for themselves.
Checks and balances are feared, they will not want another professional body to investigate their activities because they know what they are doing to the economy of this nation.
How would they want to be judged by themselves?
This sounded strange.
On this note, we call on the National Assembly to beware of the wickedness of this group, who should not talk from both sides of their mouths, making them come and expect to use it to cajole the National Assembly.
Once again, we want to appreciate the commitments put by the 9th Assembly to make sure that the Bill is passed, Nigerian people know that this administration is ready to fight corruption by every means and encourage legislation that aims to help them achieve this goal.
We are confident that His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari did not hesitate to put hand in the Bill as soon as it enters his table.
We are calling on Nigerians to take part in the Forensic Profession.
The profession is open to all professional people in different areas.
The Institute has a training section to guide and equip you.
I want to thank all of you, and also talk again that we are committed to stand with ethical standards as it follows the way they do it globally, as we provide our professional services, plus training that will give us new ways to fight corruption and crimes that are money matters generally.
I want to appeal to stakeholders and better Nigerian people to support this noble course, and to beg all of us to make efforts, so that we can finish corruption together, the many security challenges, all over the country and other crises that follow it.
Dr (Mrs) Enape Victoria Ayishetu, PhD, Pro-tem President, (CIFIPN) www.cifipn.org
Air Peace has completed a test flight with new Aircraft called E195-E2.
Air Peace has commenced test flight for two new Embraer 195-E2 aircraft as they are preparing to begin using them.
Daily Trust reports that the two aircraft were the first set among the 13 brand new 195-E2 aircraft purchased by the airline to facilitate route expansion.
A spokesman of the airline, Stanley Olisa, told newsmen on Friday that one of the empty aircrafts went from Lagos into Owerri, Abuja and Port Harcourt to be familiar on Thursday.
Olisa gave hint that test flight to other destinations would continue, and added that it would not take long the planes would start scheduled flight and offer better travel experience to their customers.
He said.
The brand new E195-E2 aircraft, which is the third, will enter the country soon, saying the reason they are expanding their fleet is not the commitment to satisfy the air travel need of Nigerians.
As a test flight, there is a regulatory requirement to be addressed before carrying the aircraft into regular operation.
We can remember that Air Peace released the two brand new ultra-mordern Embraer 195-E2 aircraft with 124 sits in January and March this year, along with 11 more.
Tela Maize harvest has potential to give 8 tons in one hectare.
In the last Tuesday, the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), in Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, invited relevant stakeholders, plus journalists, to witness the third harvest of the Tela Maize Variety Confined Field Trials (CFT) under its Tela Maize Research Project funded by the Africa Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF).
The name of the maize varieties TELA is derived from the Latin TUTELA which means protection.
This kind of maize has protection against pests and draught in its breed.
Professor Rabiu Adamu, a Principal Investigator, plus other scientists who took journalists round the harvest, said the idea of the project was to produce maize varieties resistance or protected against two major insect pests: stalk (stem) borers and Fall Army Worm plus another protection against moderate draught.
This is all about producing crops that are high yielding under stressed conditions; the stresses are Fall Army Warm and stem borers, which are major constraints to maize production.
If it is not controled, it can cause losses reaching 80 percent, plus drought if you do not manage rain shortage welwel, you cannot get any yield.
This is the third time this has done this trial.
It was during the dry season in March we did the first trial, and during the rainy season, we did another one from June to enter November.
This is the third trial from November to April.
The Principal researcher said that what they are trying to showcase is what they are trying to showcase.
As the three CFT trials have been successful, researchers will need to test and validate them to show that what they recorded in their research stations are performing well in the farmers field in different locations and ecological conditions as it commences in the rainy season of 2021.
By the time 2022 ends, if all things work well, Nigerian farmers will expect to have all these hybrids with them.
Dr Muhyideen Ayekunle, a maize breeder under this project, said from the two trials lasted, the transgenic varieties recorded gave 17 percent advantage over the non-BT varieties despite infestation.
We have infested the varieties we have put in trial three times unlike the previous one to look at how effective the BT gene reaches in the maize product.
With the outcome, researchers have said the yield would increase to 17 percent.
So afterwards, we will analyze the data, and prepare a document to get approval for environmental release.
We will submit the dossier to the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) and review it.
Once they give us approval of this product, we can show faces outside.
And then we can have national performing trials.
The Director General/CEO of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NBDA), Professor Abdullahi Mustapha, at the event, called on the scientists to continue searching for abiotic and biotic solutions to the challenges facing farmers in the country.
We have tested some technology capable of providing solutions to problems facing farmers, to take advantage of it and move forward, he said.
Dr Rose Maxwell Gidado, Country Coordinator OFAB Nigeria, said the impact would be very welcoming.
Farmers yield increases by 17 percent and you know that productivity and harvest are the key to farming.
Once you are greeted, you will get a lot of harvest and profit.
She said by the time this kind of maize is ready to enter farmers hands, it will increase their livelihood, money, plus the price of maize would come down.
Manchester United fight back to win Aston Villa
Manchester United were fighting back to take Aston Villa 3-1 away in the Premier League on Sunday as Bruno Fernandes, Mason Greenwood and Edinson Cavani scored in the second half to put the celebration of Manchester City on hold.
The result left United at 70 points from inside 34 games, 10 points behind City who have played one game past them and missed the chance to win the title on Saturday after Chelsea beat them home 2-1 on Saturday.
Bertrand Traore put Villa ahead in the 24th minute with a brilliant strike into the top corner from 15 metres after some weak dending by the visitors, as they trounced a ball in their own half many times.
Fernandes equalised in 52 minutes with penalty, as he sent the goalie for Villa, Emiliano Martinez the wrong way with the spot-kick he took, this followed a rough challenge from Douglas Luiz that Paul Pogba tumbled.
Grenwood turned the match on his head four minutes later with a neat shot on the turn from inside the penalty area after he shaked off the centre back Tryone Mings.
Edinson Cavani, a substitute, sealed a win for United with the goal he headed scored in the 87th minute.
After the news leak in Daily Trust, NCC has banned sale and use of mobile phone boosters.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has put a ban on the sale and use of GSM network boosters (for mobile connectivity) especially by banks, residents, government agencies, among others to improve telecommunications services.
The Commission had given the 14-day Pre-Enfircement Notice on Tuesday, signed by the Director Public Affairs, Ikechukwu Adinde.
He said the warning would carry effect from Tuesday and as it expires on the deadline, NCC said it would begin taking action against those who do not follow instruction.
This is less than one month after Daily Trust report on April 24, 2021 that people doing business at Sabon Gari market in Kano plus other business areas said they were buying boosters to improve the reception of the bad telecommunication network in the area.
Some of the traders said the service was not good as telecommunication service providers did not do much to improve service on the gains made in such places.
According to them, many traders and customers engage in digital and online financial transaction (data-based cashless services) plus other telecommunication-based services and still have poor call/data services.
In the notice, NCC said sales, installation and use of GSm boosters was illegal.
In the notice, NCC said they were just doing duty to protect consumers, to ensure good quality of service and maintenance of technical standard of communication equipment, as in the provision of section 131 (1) of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003.
That kind of act can lead to sanctions involving moneyplus/or prison, or the two (fine plus prison) as well as seize any equipment used for the illegal enhancement of network coverage.
LG polls: Protests over imposing candidate in APC
Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State have protested against how the party adopted some consensus candidate in some local government areas ahead of the July 24 local government election in the state.
Top officials of the party have announced that the party will adopt consensus candidate in some local government areas, and conduct direct and or indirect primary voting to candidate take emmerge in some.
The protesters who entered the secretariat of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), in Ogun State, accused some leaders of APC in Abeokuta South LGA of imposing a candidate for the post Chaiman put in them.
The placards contained many many things including We Say No To Money Bags, including We Say No To Money Bags.
In Abeokuta South and in Abeokuta South.
Allowed Members of the Party to pick who they want, and said the preferred aspirant was Farouk Akintunde.
One of the party leaders who led the protests, Balogun Ololade, urged Gov Abiodun to intervene in the matter to save democracy from jeopardy.
Between DSS and those who want to separate in some regions
As DSS has put a hand in ear for groups and people who are saying and doing things that may provoke and distrupt the ethno-religious environment and threaten harmonous co-existence of the majority common folks of the country, has started sounding like a person spoke until they were forced to leave where they deceive people.
Question lingering about who or which person or group the security agent is following is promptly vapourized in the heated rhetorical outburst of the nation's prominent geo-ethnic agitators.
Afenifere, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Northern Elders Forum (NEF)and Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF).
It is clear to all of us that this is the group of people who have been resorting to inciting, unguarded and divisive statements and act, to set countries against themselves to put fire of tribal and religious discord, as the DSS charged for one of them warnings.
Interestingly, non in the major suspects for the exploitation of some fault line to take on ethno-religious violence in some parts of the country can categorically distance themself from the treacherous and subversive activities that security agents detect.
They chorus the same conviction that the DSS knows the people responsible, but only differ in the direction they point to the accusing finger.
AS Afenifere said these people were aware of the ones responsible for the acts, but they were not able to touch them because of the connect they have, PANDEV said again about a lot of alienated people and ACF doing like they do not know, ask who they are?
Since the DSS know them and they are satanic, take action to deal with them.
The NEF sounded like a non convinced person if people pushing the country into deep crises and they know them, should treat them according to the law.
You don't need to be spook to know what the DSS knew about these flag bearers of geo-ethnic politics in Nigeria or to understand why they all know that DSS knew them yet insisted to pass the buck outside the clique.
The truth is that these champions of ethnic politics do not know any better solution to the problem facing Nigeria than a sectional enclave and chief lording over the remaining of the country as rulers, not leaders!
They are desperate and unscrupulous to pursue their inordinate ambitions that are agitated absurdly and frequently to break Nigeria up.
Ambition-powered mind games intoxicate their geographical consciousness to reduce all it takes to excising the territorial contours of their enclaves with the frenzied ease of cutting their portions of the remaining crumbs of the proverbial national cake.
To put it simple, to break up or out of Nigeria as an ultimate political panacea or consolatory opportunity to achieve inordinate ambitions of people or groups that undermine the ambitions of majority of Nigeria commoners restlessly in enduring peaceful coexistence, it is easy to say.
All these groups are major blocks to the steady attainment of unity and to live together in peace which Nigeria has been labouring for since the flag of independence.
For as long as Nigeria continues to parade the political terrain as ethnic champions, it will be regarded as an entitlement for ethnic stake in the population, to be claimed or seized, and if all fails, deconstruct it and disown it as a state that has failed.
Whenever they meet, the agenda is not for Nigeria to progress and develop, unless the leadership is firmly handed firmly, otherwise it is all about hecking and jostling around with barely concealed determination to deploy the notorious Nigerian Ph.d, pull-him-down syndrome against the incumbent non-indigene President.
Whether it is ACF, Afenifere, Ohanaeze, PANDEV or Northern Elders Forum, their existence and activities will oppose the quest of Nigeria for unity, peace and development.
Another indicment we cannot deny in this regional separatist is that all of them are sel-styled political pressure groups that pretend to be representatives of various ethnic groups.
From the membership, It is plain to see that it consists of ex-this.
Ironically, this political deficiency gave them the ginger to come together, desperate to remain relevant in a democratic system run through registered political parties with legislative and executive institutions established with constitution to dispense good governance and dividends of democracy.
Only nasty nuisance value the geo-ethnic groups have in our democratic setin as they continue with mischief, sabotage, blackmail and subversion intending to make Nigeria ungovernable as threatened and attempted to regain political relevance and control.
It is why frequent meetings have caused security alerts!
With these predator-politicians who are wakaling the perimeter of power with dubious intent and undermining the government elect just because they are not involved in the, it is beyond reasonable doubt that convergence of interest links to overt activities and the covert criminality of kidnappers, insurgents, armed robbers, bandits and allied terrorists, combine to make Nigeria not governable.
It is a double danger to describe the trying situation of the Buhari administration as they have to handle such a number of formidable enemy unleashing a lot of assaults on national security at the time the economy faces new difficulties.
To that extent, there are only two groups of politicians: those who participate with a positive mind in the democratic dispensation which is partner in moving the country forward against all odds and those who have negative minds that bring discord and disorder to distress the country.
By what they say and what they do, we all know them!
At the end of the day, the majority of Nigerians are ordinary citizens who are conditioned to survive without following or depending on where they come from.
They struggle every day to make life adhere to the will of one God even as their faiths are different.
Nigeria is a fatherland that destiny has put them in, and they remain loyal, they pray and pray, because they know that they do not have any other country to call their own, while demonstrating how citizenship can breed true patriotism.
They also know that Afenifere, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) have been using inciting, unguarded and divisive statements and activities to put citizens against one other to put fire in the tribal and religious wahala in the political ambitions of their leaders.
The prayer remaining in poor mans mouth is:
GOD IS HERE.
NIGERIA WILL BE BETTER!
Manzo Reuben is youth leader in Lokoja.
10 die in terrorist attempt to attack army formation
Trooping in the Nigerian Army, on Saturday, identified not less than 10 Boko Haram terrorist members who want to attack troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Rann, headquarters of Kala Balge Local Government Area in Borno State.
This comes when it is not too long after the appointment of the Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen.
Farouk Yahaya enters as leader of Nigerian Army.
The spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen.
Mohammed Yerima, in a statement available, explained that the terrorist, who came in a number of numbers, carryed gun trucks on ground and attempted to infiltrate the main entrance to the town.
Yerima said, The troops in high spirit are right on hand to counter the move and carry a humiliating defeat to the terrorists who abandoned their evil mission and run.
The troops chase the runaway terrorist and ensure that there is no threat to the town and the people surrounding them.
Troops successfully destroyed one of their guntrucks successfully and collected plenty of weapons including one anti-aircraft gun, two machine gun and eight AK-47 rifles as well as neutralised ten terrorists in the process.
Daily Trust reports that Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, on Friday charged the new COAS to build on the legacy of late Attahiru as he will defeat the enemy doing terror in Northesat and other areas of the country.
Second U.S congresswoman test positive to get COVID-19 after the Capitol wahala
Pramila Jayapal, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, said she contacted the Coronavirus (COVID-19) after locking it in the same room with some Republican lawmakers who were not wearing masks during the wahala at the Capitol last week.
I just received a positive COVID-19 test after locking me down in a secure room at the Capitol where many Republicans were not wicked not to wear masks but mock colleagues and staff who offered them masks recklessly, Jayapal said in a post on her official Twitter account.
Earlier on Monday, U.S. Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman said she contracted COVID-19 with possible exposure due to the time of the lockdown in the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Jayapal, a member of the Democratic Party, accused the lawmakers from the Republican of causing COVID-19 spread and said they should be punished.
Any member who refuses to wear a face mask is held accountable for being sefish and is idiot.
I am calling on every member who refuse to wear masks at the Capitol to fine them and remove the Sergeant of Arms from the floor, she said in a post on Twitter.
It is not clear if the two congresswomen were in the same room during the lockdown in the Capitol.
Jayapal was not happy as U.S. President Donald Trump fails to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. and vows to do everything in her power to remove it from office.
A 30 years-old man arraigned as assaulted woman in Edo
The police have arraigned one Gabriel Fidelis, 30 years before Ogbeson chief magistrates court in Benin for allegedly assaulting a woman named Rebecca Izevbigie.
The man was accused of three charges of conspiracy, unlaful assault and malicious damage punishable under section 516, 355, and 451 of the criminal code.
The prosecutor, Sgt. Kehinde Iyare told the court that the accused joined other suspects who have run to commit the offence on April 11, at Estate Quarters, along Benin-Agbor Road, in Benin City.
She further told the court that the accused, with others who have run assaulted one Rebecca Izevbigie unlawfully by hitting and bitting her.
She added that the accused also used iron rod to break her in the leg.
She further told the court that on March 31, 2021 the accused intentionally and maliciously spoiled the wash hand basin of the complainant and the sum was N8,000.
The accused begs guilty as the counsel Mrs E. E Idahosaapplied for his bail and she said he would not jump bail.
According to him, Chief Magistrate Mutairu Oare granted bail for the accused in the sum of N100,000 with one person to stand for him.
He said the person who will stand with him must bring two recent passport photos of himself and that of the accused.
He ordered the court registrar to verify the information supplied and the place where the surety lives, he adjourned the case to May 10 for hearing.
Why National Assembly cannot impeach Buhari Senator in Oyo
The Senator representing Oyo North Senatorial District Fatai Buhari has said the National Assembly has not seen any reason to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari.
Do senator said this when he paid Salah visit to former governor in Oyo State, Rashidi Ladoja, he said he had a process to impeach President?
Senator Buharis submission comes one day after Senator Yusuf Abubakar (APC Taraba) and Cahir in Senate committee on special duty said to resign President Buhari would not end insecurity in the country.
People are calling for President Buhari to resign or impeach him as there is insecurity in the country.
But Senator Buhari has urged the people wanting to break the country to avoid creating problems that are not easy to solve.
It has a process to impeach the president.
Anyone who is calling for the president to impeach the president should give better reasons to do impeachment.
We have not seen a reaction to impeach the president.
If there is need, we will table it, discuss it, and the two houses must come together.
To impeach the president is not what a person should just wake up one day and begin to talk.
It has procedures.
Why want to cause problems plus confusion that you cannot solve?
It was so he asked.
On the security challenges facing the country, the lawmaker said; We don't have another country than Nigeria.
Nigeria is our country and home.
Let us try to do internal security.
Let us play our own part; not let anything give government alone.
We should put local police to know all the places.
No matter how it is, we know each other.
In the early 80s, we were traveling for nite.
But at the current level of insecurity, there is something fundamentally missed.
He said the 9th National Assembly had discussed security, over 59 times.
We have discussed security issues 30 times in the 8th Assembly, and this 9th Assembly has discussed it more than 50 times.
Let everyone be vigilant, even if changing service chiefs a lot times, it still does not solve the security problem, the senator said.
Ranchers support CBN to put restrictions on forex on import of dairy
The Commercial Ranchers Association of Nigeria (CODARAN) has expressed support for the restrictions given to foreign exchange for dairy products.
Remember that the Central Bank of Nigeria has issued a circular over one year now on companies restricted from foreign exchange to import milk and dairy products.
But during a recent visit to the government of the CBN recently, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said the European Union (EU) has compliant against Nigeria over the restriction.
In a statement signed by Dianabasi Akpainyang, the CORAN, said Nigeria has the potential to harvest dairy products that will provide jobs plus create investment in local production of milk.
The CBN governor is correct.
True true Nigeria has the potential to meet, and sustain the dairy requirement.
Akpainyang said the milk grounded in collection and processing is not near that figure for now, but he noted that since it is likely, it is necessary to put a leg in fire seek of that the development of local dairy sector is urgent.
According to a report released in the CBN that Nigeria spends $1.5 billion every year to import dairy products, he said the figure would increase as demand for dairy products increases.
He also mentioned issues such as poor productivity of local cows, cow nutrition, animal disease management system, as they do not have better organised system to collect milk, as they do not have finance, insecurity, poor infrastructure, insufficient extension services, inadequate processing and storage facilities, low investment in research and development and and as they do not use modern technology as they are the major problems facing the sector.
However, he said the Advancing Local Dairy Development in Nigeria (ALDDN) programme run presently in four states Adamawa, Kaduna, Kano and Plateau has been tackling the problem.
PDP frowns face as APC claims 2.5m registers in Lagos
Uproar followed as the All Progressives Congress (APC) disclosed that 2.5m members were registered in Lagos for national and revalidation exercises.
Chaiman of the APC Registration Supervisory Committee in Lagos Dr. Muhammad Bashiru, said at the closing of recommendation letter for the supervisor that about 2.5 million have been registered in the 20 local government areas in the state.
But the People Democratic Party (PDP), the leading opposition party, has described the figure as false and fake.
PDP said APC had a habit of cooking figures to make people believe they are popular.
The spokesman of the PDP, Taofik Gani, in a chat with Daily Trust, described the APC as a party that is a liars full of it, saying the party was not popular again in the state.
This is not the first time that figures that are not true come out.
Even in the last election, the total number of APC votes was around 600,000.
He said the claims that 2.5 million are false and fake, he said.
Our correspondent reports that APC candidate Babajide Sanwo-Olu won the governorship election in 2019 with 739,445 votes while President Muhammadu Buhari had 580,825 votes in the presidential election.
The state chairman of National Conscience Party (NCP), Comrade Bayo Ogunleye, has described the claim by the APC as the greatest lie in the century.
But the spokesman of the APC Seye Oladejo told our correspondent that the party will prove that they have nomba in the local government election coming on July 24.
FG: Geographical Indications will promote diversification of economy FG: Geographical Indications will promote diversification of economy
The Federal Government has stressed that Geographical Indications (GIs) will help in promoting diversification of the economy and also support participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, said this in a capacity building workshop on GIs in public sector/policymakers in Nigeria in Abuja.
Nanono represented by the Deputy Director of Irrigation and Crop Development, Hajia Sugra Mahmood, noted that using the initiative will support the preservation of the biodiversity of the country facing existential threats as effect of climate change and the attendant destruction of the environment.
As he speaks, he can assist in commercializing the product of food culture and other cultures and enable actors in the value chain to benefit from commercialization, especially for women and youth in rural areas who are mainly involved in the production of the products.
Therefore, this workshop happens at a crucial moment when this administration works tirelessly to diversify the economy away from hydrocarbons by other sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, mining tourism etc.
This kind of initiatives promoted by GIs will help to fast track the process for diversification of the economy and also support our participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area and also globally.
It can also help to revive the economy in rural areas as we have seen it happening in the case of some products branded properly such as Ofada rice, kilishi, Dudu Osun, etc.
It will also make it the domination of our indigenous knowledge that is so sad as we are losing over time.
The current administration is ready to partner with all the relevant stakeholders both local and foreign in bids to preserve the natural and bio-cultural endowment in the country while also exploit it to strengthen the resilience of the economy, so as to provide a decent livelyhood for all Nigerians, as he stated.
Earlier, the Minister of State Industry, Trade and Investment, Haija Mariam Katagum, in her welkom address said the workshop was designated to specifically train public sectors and policymakers in Nigeria, with view of how it would take possible to adopt Geographical Indication (Gis) legislation and policy into industrial property and agriculture landscape in Nigeria.
She said we cannot avoid as the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) comes into effect, which puts responsibility on people making decisions to begin talking about as they update legislation concerning industrial property.
President of Israel hold talks to find new government
President of Israel Reuven Rivlin is preparing for speaking with top politicians on how to form a government after caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to do it after elections in matches were not conclusive.
According to Rivlins office, talks with Naftali Bennett of the Yamina party and former opposition leader Yair Lapid of the Yesh Atid (Future) party are scheduled for wednesday morning.
The head of state also invited representatives from the other partys represented in parliament to present positions on the progress of the process to form government.
It was last night the deadline for Natanyahu, a right-winger to form a governing coalition.
This means that the camp of opponents to Netanyahu faces a chance to end the era of the 71-year-old as heaf in government.
Whether they will succeed, however, is still open.
New elections are still out of question as Israel is still in political crisis.
Netanyahu will remain as head of the interim government as time goes.
He has been in office for 12 years continuously and is the longest serving head of government in Israel history.
He is now being trialed for corrupt, he has rejected all accused accusations.
They are expecting Rilvin to appoint Lapid, an opposition leader to form the head of the government.
He was a political centre; at the end of match, he was the second-strongest force in the forth parliamentary election in two years.
Rivlin can also give the mandate to the Knesset.
In this case, each member of the parliament can try to find the support of 61 of the 120 members withing 21 days.
Ganduje frees 123 prisoners in Eid-el-Fitri
Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano has granted freedom to 123 prison inmates across the state.
Ganduje who witnessed the release of inmates from Goron Dutse Prison on Thursday said the gesture was in the spirit of Eid-El Fitr celebration.
He said how the offence committed took a huge reach as well as how they have shown signs of reformation when they are in prison, he said.
The governor said he decided to show in the prison to tell the inmates that government of the state knows they exist and are seen as citizens of the state.
Ganduje said the gesture was to compliment the Federal Governments efforts to further reduce cases of criminals in national prisons.
He advised the former inmates to change attitudes to life and pray for peace and stability in Nigeria.
The governor also gave ₦5,000 to each of the inmates free to take their way to where they are going.
Earlier, the comptroller of prisons in Kano, Suleiman Suleiman, thanked the governor for freeing thousands of inmates since he entered office.
Suleiman urged the freed inmates to stay away from crime to avoid coming back to prison.
Ganduje also visited remand homes, including children home in Kano as part of his chief celebration.
Korda breaks through in Parma clay
On the eve of Roland Garos, Sebastian Korda scored a career breakthrough when he beat Italian Marco Cecchinato 6-2, 6-4, in Parma for a first title.
Korda, a son of a former world
No 2 and Australian Open Winner Petr Korda, who failed to enter the ATP tour final before the event in Parma, failed to win consecutive matches on clay.
Cecchinato, who won all his three titles on clay, came from Brescia, 90 kilometres from Parma.
The fans who were allowed to enter the event for the first time support the local boy.
Today I play a tough opponent and the not easy, Korda said.
They continue to cheer him on, but I am proud for myself.
and how I handle it.
Although his father was from Czech, Sebastian Korda, who was born in Florida decided that he would be represented by US.
The victory made him the first American player to win clay court tournament since Sam Querrey in Belgrade after 11 years.
This is something that has been in my dream, Korda said, adding that he is expecting to win title soon as he names an event in Florida in January.
I was really excited that I would do it in Delray Beach, and it broke my heart small.
What they should wear in public: Negating Nigeria's multiculturalism
By Bashir Ibrahim Hassan
She is a pure coincidence that, as trouble is smelling in Kwara state recently, they consider solution to it in the lower House of the National Assembly in the capital territory of Abuja?
The trouble in Ilorin is the refuse of some Christian faith school to allow Muslim students to wear hijabs to school.
The solution to this predicament is the debate on Religious Discrimination (Prohibition, Prevention).
RDPP Bill, 2021, ridicule Hijab Bill in a section of media in Nigeria.
Both events spark heated argument and often emotional debate that, at the bottom of everythimg, threaten to negate multicultural identity and reality of Nigeria.
The idea of Mr Kwara of the proprietor of the school to ban Muslim students wearing hijabs and sympathizers could be reduced to what they should not wear in public.
This is another major part of the concern of the RDPP Bill before the House of Representatives the humiliation and denial of opportunities.
We face a lot of females in Nigeria because of their public appearances.
It is clear that the former clearly breached the fundamental human right of the Muslim students to express their faith without discrimination; even though the school may have defence or taking such position.
The latter trying to assert this right not only for Muslims but also for Christians wherever or whenever they threaten them with discrimination because of the fauth they show.
To run through the argument by the proprietors of Christian faith schools in Kwara, it is easy for a person to understand the pragmatic appeal of the argument that Muslim children should go to other schools if they do not want to conform.
The problem of the argument has many.
First, to say that Muslim students should go another place unless agree to rule of the school on a uniform is doing very little to promote inclusiveness, which is the bedrock of our multicultural and multi-religious society.
Secondly, the position asks moral questions: What can we justify to base a rule in school on the Christian majoritarian of the school?
Then, in the second one, the argument goes elsewhere appears to have ignored the difficulties in changing schools for a child.
The inconvenience is a lot.
As they change schools for children, people in education psychology will tell you that it interferes negatively with not just emotional but academic development.
Finally, the Christian faith school by themself risked what we call ghettorization by concentrating students with the same religious belief in particular schools.
The social cost of this thing will be enormous for society.
The Commissioner for Education, Kemi Adeosun, argued, while speaking with press reports, that the government is convinced that policy to allow willing Muslim schoolgirls to wear hijab in public schools will lead to sustainable peace and communal harmony built on mutual respect and understanding.
In a country guaranteed freedom of religion, which signed the declaration of international Human Rights, the basic question to ask is: How justifiable is it to deny children in Nigeria access to schools of choice on the basis of their religion?
It is a great concern because Nigeria is a signatory to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR).
The UDHR insists that all human beings are free and equal, no matter colour, creed or religion.
It contained 30 articles on right and freedom including, among others, the rif=ght to life, free speech and privacy.
It includes economy, social and cultural rights, such as the right to have health and education.
I saw article 18 and 26 of UDHR very relevant to the issues being considered and quote them in full below:
Every person has the freedom to think or believe what they want, including belief that is a religion own.
We have the right to change our belief or religion anytime, and the right to practice our religion in public or private, alone or with other people.
Everybody should have a right to education.
Primary school should be free.
We should continue our studies as far as we wish.
In school we should help us develop our talents, and teach us how to respect every human right.
They also should teach us how to get on with other people whatever ethnicity, religion, or country they come from.
Our parents have the right to choose the kind of school we go to.
All these laws are the instrument that gives Muslim women like Ilhan Omar the equality to sit in the House of Representatives in the US and she still wears Hijab without molestation or discrimination.
Ilhan Abdullahi Omarna American politician who has been serving as the U.S Representative in 5th congregation in Minnesota district since 2019.
The Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance matter, representing Bida/Gbako/Katcha Federal constituency in Niger State, sponsored the bill.
Saidu Musa Abdullahi.
The bill is to address discriminatory conduct, including prohibiting discriminatory conduct on religion matters when concerning giving people work and the terms and conditions that follow it.
It will stop qualified and proffesional collaborations, education institutions, people doing employment and other sectors from discriminating against persons, students or personnel based on religion or manifestation.
When passed, the law will bury issues such as what we saw in Kwara for good. When passed, the law will bury issues such as what we saw in Kwara for good.
It will also address the behaviour of executives who carry prejudice into public office and still allow it to cover sense of judgement.
They Suppose welkom the law.
After all, it is only to expand and expatiate the provisions contained in the Nigerian constitution and in the UDHR documents as we have said above.
It followed line with similar laws in the country to tackle social violence against people and disability law (VAPP).
As disability is trying to remove any discrimination faced by people with disabilities, VAPP faces domestic and other gender violence in the country.
One by one, people representing us in the legislative chamber have been using legal instrument to tackle all social challenges facing our country.
These social roughnesses are not to be addressed because there is no law before they address them, but they want to carry out all the necessary steps to prevent them from being allowed to finish.
As it is likely that there is no road in UDHR, and there is no instrument to enforce it, the RDPP law and other law resemble it are grounded to carry punishment to offenders.
As it contradicts the view of critics, as far as the RDPP Bill is concerned, there is no prove that they want to put state of religion on any state that can domesticate the law.
It does not go against Section 10 of the Constitution in Nigeria that supports that the Government of any Federation or State cannot adopt any religion as State Religion.
To push the argument, because the bill calls for the general public to respect the right of Muslims who wear Hijab in public places, that is to only quench Islamaphobia.
In the final analysis, it goes against our multicultural pretenses to deny any Nigerian be it male or female religion freedom.
It is against equality, and basic human rights as defined in the constitution of Nigeria and the legal document of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Bill that would make such decimation on religion a criminal, like the RDPP bill, will have a welkom nod.
This is from Abuja Bashir writes.
President Niger Issoufou wins N1.95bn leadership prize in Africa
They have announced that President of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou is a winner of $5m (N1.905bn) in 2020
Ibrahim prize for African leadership.
Issoufou has served two terms of five years as president from 2011 to enter 2020.
Mohamed Bazoum will enter office after he won the presidential election last month.
The committee given the prize was to praise the leadership of the Niger president after meeting the economy among the poorest in the world.
He said he caused the economy to grow, showing better commitment to regional stability and the constitution, and championed democracy in Africa.
Mr Issoufou is the nomba six winners of the Ibrahim Prize.
He shared a tweet that the prize was honoured by everyone in Nigeria.
I see this award as an eccouragement to continue to think and act in a way that promotes democracy value and better governance, not only in Niger alone, but in Africa and the world, he said.
People who have won the prize before include Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia (2017), President Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia (2014), President Pedro Pires of Cabo Verde (2011), President Festus Mogae of Botswana (2008) and President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique (2007).
KEDCO has a taskforce to enforce collection, and check who bypassed the meter.
The management of Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) has formed a taskforce to pay for electricity.
In a staement given by Ibrahim Sani Shawai, head of Corporate Communication, KEDCO, Ibrahim Sani Shawai, the head of Corporate Communication, KEDCO, has given the taskforce power to ensure that all owes are collected plus the ones just used to help KEDCO to consolidate on the many reforms to improve power supply.
The taskforce will also check issues of bypass of metres, illegal connections, tif tif of energy and other forms of sabotage.
In this regard, anybody who sees sabotage in any way, will deal with them as the law requires.
We appeal to our customers to open eye for all our inspections and to protect meters welwel against vandals.
We are assuring all our customers that our initiative to give meters that we want to quench estimated billing and to give customers the opportunity to pay for what they are using, the statement said.
IBEDC has carryed on sellers under powerline
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has carryed out against selling market under high-tension wire to avoid badness.
Chief Operating Officer (COO) Engr John Ayodele gave the charge against the backdrop of the increasing traditional activities under high-tension wire.
In Oshogbo, the capital of Osun State, mechanic shop, block industry, car wash shops, POS shops and small-scale trades are common things seen under high-tension wire along Power Line and Ring road.
Engr Ayodele has urged residents to take safety precautions as important as advising people who sell under high-tension wire to move to a safe place.
He also urged residents to not call people who do not know how to repair a light and assured them that technical crew of IBEDC will be available to rectify any faults.
He cautioned that people who have the habit of harassing IBEDC staff when doing duty as the law takes to stop them, he said IBEDC will explore all available legal options to seek redress if harass any of its staff.
He said, It is also important to take other safety precautions, such as supervising children important, to avoid eletrical accidents.
10 children just born have died in fire incident in India hospital
Ten new children were killed on Saturday in a fire at a state hospital in western Idia, officials said.
These were 17 new children in the unit where they put sick children in the unit when the fire broke in early Saturday at the Bhandara District General Hospital in Maharashtra State.
Seven new children died as smoke choke them, and three died because fire burned them, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope told reporters.
Nurses, ward staff rescue seven babies
The age of all the new children is from few days to three months, Prashant Uike, health district official in Bhandara, said Prashant Uike.
The government has ordered the incident to be probed and conduct safety audits in units taking care of new crops in the country.
Initial reports have indicated that the fire may have occurred because of one of the short circuits in one of the incubators, Tope said.
The staff said there was a lot of black smoke in the ward, as the minister added.
They have waive legal requirements for post-mortem, and the children have been taken to their families, Tope said.
Family of the victims will receive compensation of 500,000 rupees (worth 6,814 dollars) for each family.
Police pursue newspaper sellers because of reports on IPOB
Police have been harassed by sellers of newspaers and those who read it in Abia State.
Daily Trust reports that since weekend police from Aba Area Command have been arresting newspapers and readers concerning reports on the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Residents said there was fear in Ama-Ogbonna Junction in the commercial city when police raided the place on Sunday.
A resident who saw the matter in his eye said residents were running to safety, as police officers shoot anyhow, when they try to arrest those who sell newspapers and those who read it.
They accused the sellers of newspapers carrying the tori containing the sit-at-home order given by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of giving a sit-at-home order by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)
Dr. Elendu Ukoh, who addressed the matter in his eyes, appealed to the state government and igbo leaders to call the police authority to call people to avoid serious violence in the city.
The kind of people we are being put in the police makes me wonder if we want anything good to come from this country.
How can anyone pursue those who sell newspapers in Aba, in the world?
If you stop people from reading hard copies of newspaper, why not stop them from reading the same story on Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Telegram, plus other people?
What kind of old police style is this?
They caused panic on Sunday as they shot and made noise.
The whole neighborhood gathered that kidnappers were chasing kidnappers.
It was later discovered that he was arrested by a vendor and gathered at his newspaper stand.
How will police follow those who sell newspapers fight?
What kind of problems can paper cause without social media?
This is not normal, he said.
Micheal Anorue, another resident said almost all the people who sell newspapers were sold in Aba.
They were empty on Tuesday.
He said, We heard on Saturday and Sunday that the new paper contained reports concerning the sit-at-hom order to take honour hero in Biafra matter, and my question is, what is wrong with it?
The early political leaders in the South East, remind these reckless police officers that Biafra is larger than IPOB, the better for them.
She does proscribe IPOB mean that they have proscribed Biafra too?
All of us are Biafra people.
On the 30th of May, the World Igbo Congress (WIC) held a zoom conversation, where they talked about a hero who fell in Biafra.
Why did police not go to Youtube, Zoom and other social media carrying the matter on air?
All they do is to come to the street and make troubles that are not necessary.
I wish the leader of Igboland to warn these reckless police officers to not allow what is happening in Imo State to enter Aba, because it will worsen for everyone.
SP Geoffrey Ogbonna, Abia State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), denied arrest of newspaper sellers and those who read it.
NAMA frown face as air traffic controller laments poor tools
Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) in Nigeria on Sunday cried out concerning the disproportionate navigational equipment in most airports in the country.
The ATCs under the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said the situation was a threat to air safety.
The International Airport in Kaduna has a control tower that can help aircraft to navigate without a problem.
Yomi Agoro, president of NATCA or a chat with newsmen on the weekend, said the thing at Kaduna airport is a watchroom used by other aviation personnel, not a control tower for only air traffic controllers.
He also said other airports in the country do not have the equipment necessary to navigate without a wahala.
He explained that some airports did not even have equipment to function.
Even Kaduna has no control tower.
What is used for them is a watch room (for firefighters), and not that purpose it was built for, and we have been calling on the government to do something.
We entered Sokoto, if rainfall, controllers will carry umbrella to sit in the control tower, and what happened, they seed some of the control tower attached to the terminal building to FAAN, while the one standing alone is with NAMA, but we have followed the two organisations.
We are still following terrestrial radio frequency fight, communication here and there.
Calabar is there; no airport that you can go today that you can say is working up to 80 per cent.
NAMA has employed and trained 40 new controllers recently, but NATCA said the nomba was too low to meet the shortfall.
However, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Capt Fola Akinkuotu, told Daily Trust that the claim was not true.
He said the federal government has put huge investment in improving navigational aids and to help safe flight operations.
It is mere politics, he said.
Goment spends a lot not too long to improve aviation infrastructure.
I don't just talk this thing because I am a MD in NAMA.
If you want to hear the true story, my suggestion is, ask people on the street, ask people for NAMA, they will tell you, they have not seen goods reached like this under this administration.
It is painful that people will talk like this.
We have not any Category Three (CAT3), this government has put two on the ground, another two are still coming.
Goment spends N1.7bn on mobile control tower
Also, revitalisation of the safe tower is ongoing.
We are reconstructing the TRACON (Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria) system.
These sectors should be jealous of us.
E-commerce in Nigeria: Legal framework, challenges and prospects
E-commerce refers to the use of communication technology especially the internet to buy, sell and market goods and services to customers.
The internet has brought fundamental shifts into the economy not near each other because of brier into ross-border trade and investment, which distances far, time zone and language and which national government regulation is different.
E-commerce fosters direct access to markets not near and promotes globalisation and commercial activities plus makes distinctions between domestic and foreign companies to the extent that it is not possible to know where the product comes from.
E-commerce is not limited to buying of products alone, it includes e-mail, plus other communication platforms, all the information or services available to customers on the net, from pre-purchase information to after-purchase services and support.
The major significance of commerce is the fact that it encourages a single world, accessed through electronic means to get goods and services facilitated from different parts of the world.
Most of the statue on the ground in Nigeria are lagging behind towards the development and growth of e-commerce in particular and the whole ICT.
In Nigeria, there are numerous legal researches and studies conducted.
Many in the study expressed opinion that the legal system in Nigeria is lacking behind in legislation involving ICT and that the statutory law already grounded is not adequate to address some of the legal issues affecting e-commerce.
This issue include electronic evidence cybercrimes, security and data production, e-payment system and inevitably trans-border issues, among others.
Therefore, there is need to bring out legal and regulatory measures that are proper, to govern the current regime.
However, in Nigeria, significant efforts to regulate e-commerce-related activities are still at the stage of Sraft Bill before the National Assembly.
It is important to know that, even where the bill is passed into law, Nigeria can still face new legal issues in this area calling for legislative intervention.
With the speed of the internet working on commercial transaction in Nigeria, especially in the banking and communication sector of the economy, the best suggestion is that the legal issues and problems confronting e-commerce presently in the country should be addressed directly and espeditiously, in the interest of the teeming population of Nigeria customers.
To achieve this, the National Assembly should pressure the National Assembly to pass a bill concerning electronic commerce as top priority so that they can enact them into law as quickly as possible.
For a short time, we should take a giant step to interprete the traditional law grounded in a liberal way to cut gaps in order to make the laws ammend to electronic transaction, particularly in the emerging trend of this information age.
Indeed, they argued that legislation is not the only means that electronic transaction and attendant documentation can be legal.
The court can also adapt to recognise electronic transaction in the absence of legislation or private contract.
According to former Justice Bungham, the common law is in the hands of judges the same kind of facility [as law merchants] to adapt to the need of the general public, principles are not altered, but old rules to apply the change, and new rules will begin exist.
We hope that government will adopt this activism by Nigerian judges in the judiciary, Supreme Court judges also involved, expecially in areas where our existing legislation is grossly inadequate, comprehensive or elaborate enough to address legal challenges in new technological advancements.
This will set a better precedence to ensure e-commerce consumers have protection, to bring investor and bring economic development plus stability in the country.
The most important issues in contracts in e-commerce are documentation and signature.
The provisions in Section 4 of the statute of Fraud, 1677 or Lagos State Law Reform (Contract) Law and our various statutes on real property and landed instrument, all of which require to write certain contracts and execute them duly.
The question now is whether electronic sign-off constitutes a valid sign-off contract by email or by binding?
Many of these issues have not been settled even in the UK although some decisions favoured toward interpreting electronic signatures.
So marks in an email that satisfy the tradional requirements of writing and due execusion.
E-commerce transaction is a transaction that does not involve paper processing through magnetic material like tapes or disks.
This is a contradiction to the transaction where paper is executed in permanent form and typically expressed in words and figures using signature authenticates.
That kind of transaction cannot be altered without altering the face of the document.
As concerning signature, the provision in this section 93 (2)(3), evidence act 2011, electronic signature related to data message will conveniently satisfy any requirement for signature signed as long as it is sufficient to identify an electronic record to the person.
The provisions in article 7 of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) model law for e-commerce 1996 equally trite on this issue.
Thus, for the purpose of establishing proof of electronic signatures.
To use password, identification, user names etc. can be useful.
He can safely say that electronic signature for purpose of execution is admissible for evidence provided that it is certified and incorporate it in electronic communication during any e-transaction.
Also, other legal challenges affecting e-commerce include the formation of contracts.
The elements for better formation of a contract include offer, acceptance, consideration, intention to enter into a legal relation.
The question is, at which point they can make offer with regard to electronic business transaction or now to differentiate between invitation to treat and offer electronic transaction, at which point we can say they make intentions to enter a legal relation?
E-commerce requires confidence and trust that the satisfaction of transmitting an order or invoice does not have any matter and comes from whoever it appears to come from.
There is a need for guarantees concerning level of privacy/confidentiality in information matter.
Lastly, the alarming rate of cybercrime in Nigeria, plus high level of illiteracy.
No doubt that electronic transaction is an aspect of commercial transaction in Nigeria and has come to stay this time.
Let the government pass to making law, activate as they take the use of the electronic platform for commercial interactions and for delivery of government services.
You can reach Abanikanda Happiness Wuraola via twitter.
Chad passes new chartes as Debys son president
Chad has passed a charter to declare Mahamat Idris Deby as President, despite rumour on social media that he has died.
Mahamat has taken over to replace his father, Idriss deby who was killed this week.
The charter said the 37-year-old, a late war veteran, was named transitional leader quickly on Tuesday as head of the military council after his fathers death, will be serving as president of the republic and head of the armed forces.
The charter repeal the preceding constitution and implement it as the basic law of the republic, according to the authorities in it.
The young Deby was also named as supreme head of the armed forces, he said.
Debys son oversees the security of his father when he was head of the elite presidential guard and was often appearing along with his father often.
The best to know Mahamat Deby was as a top commander of the forces in Chad who helped United Nation peacekeeping mission in the restive north of neighbouring Mali.
He signed a decree on Tuesday as he set out a military council with 15 generals, including himself and 14 other loyal to late president.
The task of the council is to move into a free and democratic election with 18 months.
Mahamat Idris Deby is chair of the military transition council, the council of ministers, the counil of superior committees of national defence, the charter said.
The new head of state will declare legislation adopted by the 69 members of the national transition council, named Mahamat directly.
The Transition Charter, which has 95 articles, guarantees freedom of opinion, conscience and worship.
They have set a transition government, which the new president will name the members.
The charter said all members of the army called to the transitional government from all military work.
Law in Chad
The leader who was killed, who ruled with a strong hand for almost 30 years, gave to wounds he had when he visited a battlefield where Chad soldiers were fighting rebel groups in the north, the military announced on Tuesday.
Calling for calm, the army also announced a curfew at 6pm and closed the borders in the country, suspending the constitution and dissolving the National Assembly.
However, opposition politicians in Chad have rejected the army appointment of President Idris deby's son to take over after his father died.
Experts said under the law in Chad, the speaker of parliament should have taken power after Deby died, not his son.
According to the constitution, if the president is abducted, then the speaker of the parliament will take charge of the country for 40 days and then the speaker of the parliament will put transition in place until the election, Hiba Morgan, reports from capital Ndjamena on Tuesday.
But the military announced that the legislative assembly and the constitution were dissolved, so what they did was to replace the constitution with its own set of rules.
Chelsea can komot points after the brawl with Leicester
Chelsea face deduction of points from the FA for the team as they fail to control their players, Mirror reports.
In seven years, the team has catched the team showing a hot temper to opponents seven times.
The recent brawl in a match on Tuesday night Leicester marked the seven encounters Chelsea have had with Premier League teams.
It marks the match that happened last week between Chelsea and Leicester among players of both teams.
With the same kind of offence in the past, the FA decided to punish Chelsea.
Leicester also face charges for their role in the brawl involving players and coaches as Ricardo Pereira challenged Ben Chilwell.
In 2016, Chelsea also charged Chelsea for indiscipline to warn them, after appealing against 375,000 dollar fine for the part played in a burst-up during a match against Tottenham.
If it affects them, the point departure will affect them season very well as they enter the final campaign to take a spot in top four.
US Africom in Nigeria? Heck No!
Overpaid, oversexed and over here.
That is the resentful and contemptuous opinion many British people have in the thousands of American GIs stationed in several military bases in Britain during the Secon World War.
The gum-chewing, brash, hard-drinking and womanising soldiers from America come frequently into pub fights and knife fights that are dangerous and causing bad feelings for the Yanks among the locals.
And this is the pattern American soldiers behave every day at the hundreds of American military bases oversea from Okinawa in Japan, Stuttgart in Germany, Incirlik and Diyarbakir in Turkey and Pampanga in Philippines.
It was why I was upset, like many Nigerians, that in a virtual meeting last week with the Secretary of State of the United States of America, Antony Blinken, the president Buhari asked the United States to consider how to relocate the African Command (Africom) of his military in Stuttgart in the southern German city of presently Africa.
We are concerned that with this call, President Buhari is making way for Nigeria to host Africom.
In the first place, it was a breach of protocol for President Buhari to do that meeting with the American Secretary of State.
The meeting should be held with Blinken's Nigerian opposite number, Geoffrey Onyeama, who took the detail to meet President later.
Yes, America is superpower and all, but protocol is protocol and should be followed strictly in every circumstance.
We understand that Nigeria is facing a huge internal security crisis that is beyond the best efforts of government and security establishments in the nation to tackle it.
terrorist insurgency that did not tire from the North East banditry, kidnapping in the North West, farmers/herders clashed all over the country and as they targeted and killed security and law enforcement personnel and other Nigerians, including the destruction of institutional building in the South East, which includes the destruction of institutional building in the South East, which includes the destruction of institutional building in the South East, which includes the destruction of institutional building in the South East.
But even at that, the call to host Africom on Nigeria was when we considered against various issues and implications of this move to Nigeria difficult to justify.
Africom is one of nine of those commands established by the American military to serve Americas strategic interests around the world.
By their rule and way of operation, these commands, particularly the ones outside America like Africom, were not set up primarily to concern themselves with security and law enforcement issues in their area of coverage.
They only do so when such issues affect the interest of America directly in the area and in such situations, they are not mandated to yield modus operandi and share intelligence with the local security and law enforcement agancy.
If Africom is set up in Nigeria for instance, it will be an island on its own as it will restrict access to Nigerians of all categories and establishing a jurisdiction withing the territorial area of the base virtually off limit to Nigerian security and law enforcement agancy.
As it is always happening with American military bases outside America, Africom will be a forward operating base for disruptive intelligence operations and source for act of sabotage and destabilisation against host countries.
In this particular case of Africom, part of its original concept is to control as the strategic influence of Nigeria grows in West Africa and Africa as we have successful peace enlargement efforts in Liberia and Sierra Leone and our best record of peacekeeping around the world.
The other before Africom was the Africa Crisis Response Initiative (ACRI) set up by the Clinton administration to counter the strategic interest of Nigeria in Africa.
The Secretary of State for president Clinton, the dour-faced California attorney, Warren Christopher, visited a nomba of African countries secretly to sell the idea.
But because Nigeria is the target, he pointedly removed it from his itinerary.
Senegal, not far from Liberia and Sierra Leone, is supposed to be the coordinating base of the ACRI and though it was seen as an initiative to facilitate assistance of America to African humanitarian issues, his secret protocol was mistaken for military and targeted Nigeria strategically.
Due to undisguised hostility to the idea from France, which was averse to seeing the Americans trying to butt into an area it considers its exclusive sphere of influence, they reviewed the concept of the ACRI.
In the review, which draws the expertise of Americas Military, intelligence, political and academic personalities and institutions carrying out secret sessions, the Americans considered and realised the need to set up a AFrican command to add to the existing commands and cover other continents in the world.
Thus, to follow on the reccomendation of experts who gathered from all angles of political and security establishments in America, the Bush Junior administration set Africom up with a mandated mandate to contain Nigeria but also to keep eye on the strategic penetration of Chinese people in Africa.
The US Central Command (USCENTCOM) will be to the Middle East and Asia, so Africom will be to Africa, as it bases in Florida, European Command (EUCOM), as it bases in Stuttgart, Germany, is to Europe and Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), also based in Florida, is to Latin America and the Caribbean.
The presence of French military has already surrounded Nigeria as they are in Niger, Cameroun, Chad and Benin.
The Americans also have drone bases in Niger.
To add Africom to the mix in Nigeria amounts to a complete capitulation of our strategic interest to both France and America.
As we keep in mind that our strategic interests plus profile in Africa do not always follow with the one in France and America, to host Africom in Nigeria will be the same thing as allowing wolf into a chicken cage.
Not in the insecurity crisis facing the country that our armed forces cannot cope with.
This is after the military force that eventually secured Liberia and Seirra Leone against an army of insurgents well-entrenched and organised in the country from a long logistical supply line thousands of miles; the army of Joshua Dogonyaro, Victor Malu and Maxwell Khobe, to mention few of the plenty gallant Nigeria soldiers distinguished in the operation.
It is regrettable that the Nigerian military, having falled from the high standards they knew, is now struggling now to cope with the activities of non-state actors internally.
But intrinsically and essentially, the military in Nigeria still carry the capacity and capability to defeat this threat to our nationl security if they have the correct leadership, doctrine plus motivation.
We need all the assistance and coopration that the American people can give us if they want to give us.
But they hold us in hand to host Africom with our circumstances in view of its antecedent and implication to our strategic interests, on our soil.
After facing challenge, Plateau target 7m metric tons of Irish potato
In Nigeria, there is no one planting Irish potato as it is produced in nine of the 17 local government areas of the state.
The Potato Value Chain Support Project of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has established Plateau as a state with 90 per cent of the potato production in the country as countries like Chad, Ghana, Niger, Benin and other countries have large supply of potato from Nigeria.
The large potato production in Plateau State, according to PotatoPRO.com, a leading source of information in the global potato industry, has made Nigeria the number four big countries in sub-Sahara Africa.
However, farmers said there were dams with no good reach and poor road networks, plus the cost of fertilizer and other farming input continue to stand as a major setback for the production of potatoes in the nation and to export.
Other challenges that contribute to low yield and loss of harvest to the potato value chain include disease like blight and bacterial wilt, plus poor seedlings.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Plateau State is among the ten poorest state in Nigeria as its poverty rate exceeds 70%.
However, the state has comparative ambition to boost economic activities by improving the competitiveness of the potato commodity value chain.
The project Coordinator of the Potato Value Chain Support Project, Thomas Muopshin, said though the visibility of the tuber crop is evident in nine local government areas in Plateau, Bokkos and Mangu LGAs are the hub of potato.
It is producing more potato than any LGA in the country.
However, Muopshin said adaptability research indicate that the remaining eight LGA in the state also can plant potato, which means that all 17 LGA in Plateau can produce tubers, especially in the dry season.
However, the Association of Potato Farmers (APF) in the state, said unless the challenge facing the value chain, increase production and export of potato will continue to pass the national.
Chairman of APF in Plateau State, Lazarus Makut, in an interview with Daily Trust, said the inadequate small dams, especially in remote areas where potato grows, and bad road along high cost of farm input continue to affect potato output.
He said the cost of mechanised farming to increase production quickly has been expensive as the majority of farmers are small scale producers unable to afford mechanization.
A farmer, Martha Mamgup, who planted potatoe in Ampang town in Mangu LGA, said water supply during the dry season affects potato farmers and harvest is low every year.
Because of this, she said, the majority of farmers search for locations of boreholes to farm to take access to irrigation water in their farms.
Martha also explained that the high cost of fertilizer prevents many farmers from improving quantity plus quality of yield, adding that when fertilizer is not enough, it affects the crop output.
The cost also prevents many of us from expanding the business.
So, to get fertilizer is not easy for us.
She said the construction of more dams plus boreholes for irrigation would lead to more production of potatoes.
If the weight is not enough for the crop, it will dry and later die and day is why some farmers with the resources prefer to dig boreholes in Mangu for irrigation because, without it, season farming would be difficult, she said.
Irish potato at a market in Jos
Production to reach 7million metric ton after completed lab
With potato production in Plateau State that has jumped from 1,656,650 metric tons in 2017 to 2,359,890 metric tons in 2020, the establishment of Potato Value Chain Support Project and the expectation of the construction of these culture lab would help to triple the production of seven million metric tons by the time 2021 ended.
The officer monitoring and evaluating state's Potato Value Chain Support Project in the state, Baleri Yakubu, told Daily Trust that the state expected to start production of six million potato every year after completing the tissue culture lab at the end of 2021 but is optimistic that production could pass seven million metric tons every year.
However, Yakubu said the state government should tackle other challenges facing farmers, especially the one of fertilizer as well as dam and road networks as they are expecting farmers to apply proper potato farming regulation to achieve expected target.
Our correspondent learnt that the tissue culture lab, which is expected to improve potato yield in the state by providing clean seeds that resist pests and other diseases related to potato, is expected to commence full operation in few months.
Yakubu said he is certain that the advent of the lab will improve income for farmers and revenue for the state government and will also help food security in the country.
Farmers in Plateau State, however, believe that the tissue la, if fully equipped, will reduce the cost of treatment for the crop when disease affects them.
They also hope that better quality seeds will be available at affordable prices.
FG has not returned £4.2m Ibori loot to Delta Accountant General
The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) recalled on Wednesday that the Federal Government has not returned the £4.2 million loot recovered from former governor James Ibori to the Delta Government.
They are still waiting for the money after they resolve the issues with him before taking any further action.
For now, they have not returned any money into Delta State, a statement from the office revealed, signed by the director of information, Press and Public Relations, Henshaw Ogubike.
The statement said the issue was not resolved to resolve the issue of the £4.2million loot by Ibori.
In a previous comment made by the Accountant General of the National Assembly that the loot was returned to the government of Delta, Henshaw Ogubike said: The Agf is only general comment about money rcorver as it relates to state governments.
The three Super League strongholds did not gree against UEFA coercion.
Super League three Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus insisted on Wednesday that they remain committed to modernise football even as UEFA is threating to discipline them.
UEFA opened a formal disciplinary waka on Tuesday against three clubs who were not greeted to give up on the Super League project they had aborted.
In a joint statement, Juventus in Italy, and the two Spanish sides said they remain committed to modernise football through open dialogue with UEFA.
FC Barcelona, Juventus FC and Real Madrid CF wished to express absolute rejection of the insistent coercion UEFA has mentained towards the three relevant institutions in the history of football, the statement said.
This attitude reaching to raise alarm constitutes a breach of the decision made by courts of justice, which have made clear statement to warn UEFA to stop taking any action to punish the clubs who found the super League when they are still on the legal matter.
Therefore, as UEFA take disciplinary proceedings is incomprehensible and a direct attack against the rule of law that us, a citizen of the European Union, has build up with democracy, there is still a lack of respect toward the authority of the courts of justice.
China gives reach 140 million COVID-19 vaccines
China has administered 139.97 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of April 4, 2021, the National Health Commission (NHC) of the country said.
China is working to ensure vaccination efforts in major areas and key sectors industry based on the overall plan of the country, inoculating the eligible population as wide as they can reach and to make progress in stages, said Wu Liangyou, deputy director of the NHCs Disease Prevention and Control Bureau.
The country has been gathering resources to ensure inoculation in cities of large and medium size, urban areas with high risk of infection, giving priority to key groups including employee in public sector, students and faculty in colleges and universities, plus service staff in big supermarkets, Wu said, adding that vaccination in other groups is in progress.
In present, Beijing, Shanghai plus some other places in China have given senior citizens who want to collect the vaccine, above the age of 60 and patients with chronic diseases COVID-19 vaccines, with good physical condition.
He Qinghua, an official of the NHC, noted that the commission will advance the vaccination campaign with order of importance, followed by informed consent, voluntary participation and free inoculation.
The country coordinates regular prevention and control with its vaccination efforts, to ensure that the regular responsibility of local governments and those who have left the eye are fulfilled, and to advance their vaccination campaign in a more secured and orederly and forceful manner, he said.
Besides, China has taken steps to include more people in its vaccination campaigns to ensure health, the official added.
So far, China has approved COVID-19 vaccines produced by five enterprises for conditional marketing or for emergency use.
Phase III of three vaccines not activated and one adenovirus vaccine showed efficacy to meet the requirements of the National Medical Products Administration of China and the World Health Organization.
Phase II trial of the recombinant protein subunit vaccine appoved for emergency use has shown that the vaccine is safe and can cause strong immune response.
All the COVID-19 vaccine adopted by China has gone through clinical studies that follow relevant standards, approved by national drug regulatory organisations and started using it after strict examination, said Li Bin, deputy head of NHC.
All vaccines should be monitored and recorded from time to time to ensure that they meet the requirements on temperature environment and transportation.
Li added that Health regulators in China have also enhanced efforts in the training of health workers, requiring operating instructions, to guarantee the efficacy and safety of the vaccine.
Wema Bank conducts essay contest for children
Wema bank Plc hosted a creative essay competition to test the creative writing ability of young children aged five to 12 years.
The 2021 Royal Kiddies Essay Competition titled Write and Win, aims to develop writing skills, promote creativity, imagination capacity, reward creativity and drive excellence in their learning process.
Ten children will emerge in a screening process that will be transparent, credible and thorough.
The three essays will contain Huawei tablets and Royal Kiddies branded T-shirts.
The remaining seven winners will receive N20,000 prepaid gift card each for school supplies plus branded T-shirts.
The essay competition will be open to children already open, plus funds Royal Kiddies Account or wards, and entries will be closed on May 24, 2021.
From Hushpuppi to Abidemi Rufai Sandy Tangâ
Twelve months ago, Ramoni Abass (37 years) was arrested for money laundering from business email compromise fraud and other scams targeting firms and an English premier league club.
The total money he made was $435 million after defrauding 1,926,400 victims.
After a year, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also arrested Abidemi Rufai (known as Sandy Tangâ), Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties to Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun in John F kennedy Airport, concerning criminal complain that he scamed Washington State Employment Security Department of $350,000 (N144,375,000).
The money being taken is relief money for a pandemic designed by Washington State for those who have lost their jobs because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The fraud occurred during the lockdown and the investigation bureau started tracking the alleged fraudster who is making law in Nigerias Federal House of Representative if he did not lose the Ijebu North/Ijebu East/Ogun Waterside Federal Constituency election to Adekoya Adesegun, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) person.
The fraud was done by stealing identity of Washington residents over 100 as they fill false claims with the Employment Security Department (ESD) for pandemic-related unemployment benefits.
They created new e-mail accounts for each stolen identity, making them identify the claim with a different person to escape automatic fraud detection system.
After that, he paid over $288,000 to his bank account in America between March and August 2020.
Cybercrime is a global threat to people, organisations and countries.
Nigeria loses over $128 billion in cybercrimes every year.
By the end of 2021, the world will have lost a total of $6 trillion.
To date, there are over 40 Nigerians or suspects being investigated for complicity in fraudulent scams.
The alleged unemployement benefit fraud by Rufai would be under what I call COVID-19 fraud in Nigeria.
This is a scam using loopholes that COVID-19 pandemic has caused to scam people, governments and government organizations.
During the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria, cybercriminals were doing frauds along the interventions from government and private sectors and scammed many and some of the schemes are still being till date.
Domino pizza fraud, federal government cash palliative fraud, N20, 000 Dangote relief fund fraud and promo sales fraud among others.
When there is cyber-criminality outside Nigeria, some youngsters do it in Nigeria.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is arrested, also trying and convicted them.
To understand the culture that sustains cyber-criminality can help a serious government to fight the crime.
The family is the small world in the larger society.
It is the place to nuture normal human beign in the society.
Apart from the fact that many families in Nigeria are in a dungeon of poverty and it is hard to take care of their children, some of the children have become breadwinners, as it is, is not legit.
Ethical behaviour training in many homes is a challenge as parents and children are arrested for cyber-criminality.
In some other places, yahoo boys parents are formed associations to celebrate their childrens success and justify the criminal act.
In the religious seting, pastors, alfa and traditinalists make home and benefit from yahoo-boyism.
Moral teachings have come to materialistic Pentecostalism to enter.
It had a viral video where some boys sprayed money while shepherds in a white garment church enjoyed the captive moment, as members of the female youth wing of the church led by the female youth wing of the church recorded the act of shame.
They were born in 1999 when Nigeria entered democracy again, 21 years now.
Sadly, they grow to appreciate lies as a way of life from politicians mouth (and in many cases from home) that deceiving people to vote for them while not fulfilling the promise given by the country.
Lying is also the foundation of the sociology of hushpuppism.
Youth socialise daily in corruption by people in public offices.
They are seeing how the system gives farudulent people soft landing (for public or private).
She asks how many fraud and corruption allegation have been investigated and discharged with punishment when the accused is guilty?
The plenty of cases end with off-the-mic like the Nigeria Delta Development Commission (NDDC) case ending like a family affair.
The youths are seen as celebrating flamboyant lifestyle in dirty.
They are seeing how poor politcal aspirants are turning into a millionaire withing months to enter office.
They are seeing how traditional institutions have become cash and carry when given chieftancy titles.
Tertiary educational institutions, with few exceptions, award undeserving honours in exchange for money.
All of those mismanaged money have soft landings.
To add to this list of cultures nuturing cybercrime is the lyrical glamour of some Nigerian musician who present cybercrime as a work and game that everyone can do and not be crime.
If a fraud person is elected into a legislatory, will he make law against the crime involved?
The process of party leaders to give nominations to the high bid must be reviewed if we want to stop importing problematic things into our political system that has already lost morality.
It is unfortunate that the critical reasoning of party leaders is low when they show money.
They provide a platform for dubious character to cover up and the society worsens with their action.
Greed also causes cyber-criminality.
The FBI agent in charge of Rufai, Donald Voiret said greed was a powerful motivator.
Unfortunately, the greed alleged by this defendant is affecting all taxpayers.
To move forward, we cannot live in sin, expecting grace to abound.
Nigeria should sanitise its anti-coruption system and put a comprehensive accoutability policy in place to track lifestyle with material accumulation.
We must give youths in Nigeria hope by creating employment opportunities, reducing poverty and reviewing reward systems.
The EFCC need to invest in technology and expose detective to modern cybercrime investigation procedures.
The commission must finish investigation before arresting suspects as FBI did before arresting Huspuppi and Abidemi Rufai Sandy Tang.
Unless the culture that sustains cybercrimes in Nigeria with social social engineering, cyber-criminality will continue to spread.
Dr Tade, a sociologist, wrote this piece at dotad2003@yahoo.com
DRC president Tshisekedi enters chair of African Union
President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi entered chair of the African Union on Saturday.
He entered office on the first day in the 34th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa.
He came after President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa as the rotating chair of the organization.
The Au will aim to address the bad impact of COVID-19 on the continent.
The union
official theme for 2021 is Arts, Culture, and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want.
Despite country and continent-wide control measures, the impact of COVID-19 has put a lot of human, financial and socio-economic costs on Africas people, Tshisekedi said.
The crisis has however given us the option to re-examine our socio-economic priorities and work towards sustainable and inclusive economic growth that will allow women and girls to contribute to our society for the fullest.
We must rely on ourselves more and find collective solutions to our problems.
Tshisekedi said the DRC during its time as head of the union was looking to elevate African voices.
It will also focus on sustainable development by and in Africa.
We will work to make sure they are integral, peace and security, health care and strong response against COVID-19, plus food security.
Agricultural transformation, education, gender equality, climate justice, for people and goods to move freely, and freedom of speech and religion, plus to enhance our common heritage: language them, and memorial sites of the history of people in Africa, as the president added.
New wahala in Lagos PDP over LG polls
A fresh whala has been gathered in Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) concerning the release of guidelines for the conduct of the local government elections, released by the Chairman of the state Engr Deji Doherty.
Engr Doherty, who has been in a battle with many of his colleagues in the State Working Committee (SWC), which led to his suspension recently, was released on Friday.
It will be remembered that the State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has released the timetable for the elections to hold on Saturday, July 24, 2021.
In the internal strife lingering in the State PDP, the Chairman released the guidelines, which as we heard was not good in the eyes of most of the executive members who said they did not carry them long.
One member of the state executive said the chairman planned the timetable unilaterally and did not involve other executive members.
We later learnt that the other factions of the party oppose Doherty could counter the embattled Chairman this over the guidelines.
The executive member who said in condition of anonymity said the position of the vex will enter public this week, insisting that key members of the executive should sideline key members of the executive.
How it felt to be born in a pandemic By Dil Afrose Jahan.
When news of death is everywhere, a new life brings hopes plus hope.
For January 1, 2020, one new morning, two red lines changed my life.
I have been happy and happy.
It was a mamzing start to the new year.
It was the most remarkable year of my life.
All of a sudden, every change.
My daughter Roshomon Tara was born at the end of the first lockdown in Dhaka, Bangladesh; she is now nine months old.
She was the reason I became mother in the middle of global crisis.
Not only hers were born, but also new me, mama tara, who spent the whole pregnancy in lockdown at home and born the children in emergency condition in the emergency.
Tara has seen the world with masks and isolation.
Her grandma also fears to touch her or come near her if not wearing a mask.
If there is no pandemic, my journey to enter motherhood would be different.
This Mother Day is very special as my children are on my front, looking at me smiling.
In the last mother day, she grows inside of me.
The only thing to change, meanwhile, is the pandemic.
It was 16 weeks in my life when the pandemic happened, and the world entered a lockdown.
I am struggling to survive the pandemic with my hormonal and physical changes.
The 22 weeks were like war.
My husband, Sina Hasan, was a musician, and all his concerts were cancelled at that time.
I am a freelance journalist since January 1, 2021.
So we depend on what I have already save, and we spend all my savings.
Our parent and two journalists associations came forward to help at the main time.
I am fearful of everythimg.
Most of the time, it is like death.
Our door was knocked at our door.
I am adapting to a new life where we are online and they deliver our things or home-delivery.
I have to wait for a week to deliver groceries like day.
I even feared to send the only family member living with me, my husband to leave to buy food storage.
So, I am not too much eating.
Besides, I cannot go for my antenatal check-up as they gave me time.
And I am not sure if my children are grown well or if development is taking place timely.
I am very sorry for my unborn children that I have brought him into a world different from as it was.
The tele-medication helped me pass some hard times in the last three months.
I forget the face of my gynaecologist.
I cannot imagine how she would take a look if she does not wear PPE.
I need information about risks, precautions, and how to get emergency medical help.
There is a lot of information flowing around.
In this informate crisis, mothers who have experienced my mother, and my mother-in-law can only support me and not meet me for someone when I am a child.
Traditionally, experienced mothers and mostly older women in the family help new mothers with experience and observation.
I have had a lot of panic attacks because of lack of information and understanding.
So I have an experience of mothers who gave birth during this time.
I see social media as a lifeline.
I read many exciting experiences on social media when I was following a group of over 100,000 beautiful women and giving children breasts as they support each other to survive the pandemic.
Various media groups in the country have helped over 100,000 beautiful women and the ones who gave their children breasts as they share experiences and information during the lockdown.
It helped me to find a care facility to take an emmergency ultrasound after heavy bleeding in the lockdown.
A group helped to stop anxiety and depression following childbirth.
I am vexed that I cannot meet my parents, relatives, or friends to share the joy of being a new member in the family.
My daughter was born on August 25, 2020, at the same hospital, Azimpur Maternity, where I was born decades ago. I was born my children on August 25, 2020, at the same hospital, Azimpur Maternity, where I was born decades ago.
And she met another child one on one when she was four months old on December 31, 2020, when Tara and her father went to the rooftop with me to see the fireworks.
A fifty-year-old family with two children, my neighbour, who I met for the first time, will be there to talk byebye in 2020.
Every day is, and it is still a gift, to consider the recent statistics of increased COVID-19 cases.
When news about death is full of everythimg, the new life brings hope and hope.
For mothers, it is not different from winning war as their children were born in a pandemic and cared for the new children alone, to confirm the safety of their children.
Socially, emotionally, and physically, this time can challenge a person.
Thanks to the light that shines in the eyes of the baby.
thank you my children, my daughter, for whom I am a mama and a successful fighter who survived this pandemic.
The Afrose Jahan has collected the National Geographic Society's Emergency Fund for Journalists.
This work is supported by National Geographic Society.
The national question, insecurity and the declaration in Asaba.
By Segun Tomori
Recently, governors in souther Nigeria met in Asaba and made some resolutions on the state of the nation, which is called Asaba declaration.
The meeting came on the matter as insecurity in the country has worsened, agitation by some kind of ethnic jingoists and as the matter murderous herdsmen menace generates nationwide attention.
Indeed, the bi-partisan nature of the meeting plus the unanimity of the 17 governors displayed shows that they mean serious business.
Restructuring in the context of true federalism and the ban of open grazing forms the declaration.
Major light followed is bringing state police, devolution of power, review revenue formula to favour federating unit plus the need for national dialogue to discuss the nation question.
As they should condemn the way governors are dragging their leg on financial autonomy in state legislature and judiciary and not following the spirit of true federalism which they call for, planting in their resolution is a tenet in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) led by Gov. El=Rufai's ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) which the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) led by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) which the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) led by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) which the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) led by Gov. El=Rufai's committee on true federalism recommends.
One will expect that the leading light in the APC will take advantage of the bipartisan nature of the Asaba declaration, and the support of the major opposition party to begin the process to address the issue.
Instead, we saw attempts to take play to the gallery and for some quarters, subtle censure of the governor.
The El-Rufai committee has recommended devolution of power, resource control, state police, local government autonomy plus review in revenue frmula in favour of federating unit among them.
President Buhari has given support for local government, state legislature and judiciary autonomy since, backing amendments in the statutes and issued Executive Order 010.
As the state of the nation is, where security and economic has become a big challenge, these two sectors should have the untimate attention to.
Despite being rated Nigeria as the country with the highest GDP in Africa, we still have no better efforts to translate it to improve the standard of living or the majority of our countrys.
For instance now, our annual budget reaching $35 billion, is very inadequate to cater for the need of 220 million Nigerians.
South Africa with about 58 million people has a National budget of $75bn in 2019 and her Social Protection Programme reached 17m of its population.
The effort made by the Buhari administration, though it is a new way and commendable, is just dropping in the ocean and not adequate to make required impact.
This is where devolution of power and resources control will enter.
Solid minerals and natural resources do not have any business to stay beyond one day in Exclusive list.
Almost all the states of the country have natural resources to sell markets that can be explored to create wealth and generate the foreign exchange needed.
The present system where state goes to Abuja to collect federal allocations in the country breeds indolence, not following the principle of true federalism.
Just as the El-Rufai committee proposed, they should review the revenue formula to favour states since they will add more responsibilities to them.
On state police, it is undesrated that they fear that governors will abuse it, but like Richie Nortondon said, To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around it.
For too long, we have been around fear of abuse of state police, we have turned a blind eye to the centralised Nigeria Police Force that has been overstretched and become an inefficient and big problem.
As Vice President Osinbajo said some years ago, State Police is an idea that his time has come.
We have to address our fears and overcome it.
One of the way is to enact a legal instrument to establish the State Police Regulatory Commission (SPRC), along with constitutional amendments to permit state police.
It will have similar functions with Federal Police Service Commission (PSC) but will have wider power to exercise appointive and regulatory functions.
Do ban on open grazing by governors is not a thing, it is part of the fulcrum of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) approved by the National Executive Council (NEC).
The International Crisis Group (ICG) has put the NLTP as the most comprehensive effort to overhaul the inefficient and grossly underperforming livestock system.
For the core is a strategy to curb migratory or open grazing and thus lower the risk of conflict between herders and farmers, therefore, beggars belief that some myopic, self-acclaimed ethnic champions choose to lampoon the ban on pre-historic, nomadic open grazing.
Let the federal and state government move very fast to fully implement this new plan so that we can put this farmers-herders clash from time to time behind us.
The convocation of National Dialogue, which is a major demand of the Asaba declaration, may not be necessary since report from the 2014 National Conference plus recommendations of the Gov. El-Rufai-led APC committee on True Federalism.
The two reports are to make far reaching recommendations that the governors we elected and the legislators in the national assembly can agree on, instead of waste resources on another jamboree.
On the issue of separatist agitations, they should bring modalities to do referendum as stipulated in the constitution.
It is almost certain that many majority of Nigerians want to live together, not mind our differences.
To do this will take the sail out of the wind of divisive elements, fanning fire of hate and discord.
The Southern Governor has affirmed their commitment to one United Nigeria on the basis of justice, fairness and equity, so must every patriotic Nigerian.
Though we have challenges like every other country, we must listen to them as US President Joe Bidden often said.
Tomori lives in Abuja
Two officers have died as IPOB jaguda people put fire on police stations
It was not until 24 hours after the new commissioner of police appointed in Anambra, Christopher Adetokumbo Owolabi, resumed, his jaguda people attacked Obosi Police Station in Idemili North local government area of the state and killed two officers.
The jaguda militants attacked the police station late on Wednesday, freed all detained suspects before setting the station on fire.
A police officer at the police station affected by the incident said a number of suspects entered and attacked the police station around 11pm.
He identified the dead officer as Inspector James and Awalu.
The source said the victims were killed in a filling station not yet operating again close to the police station.
The source also said when other police officers on duty notice unusual movement of the unknown gunmen, they run and the attackers had time to burn the police station down.
Meanwhile, the police in Anambra have confirmed the killing of two men.
DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, the Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command, who confirmed the attack, said the state commissioner of police has dispatched a tactical team to assess the incident on the spot.
The tactical team led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police led the tactical team to see on the spot assessment of the place.
The team also asked the team to identify and catch the suspects who led the attack, he said.
Ikenga, who added that the body of the two policemen is in the nearby morgue, said they have started investigation on the matter.
NEPC, Commonwealth collaborate on production of professional service export data
The Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Commonwealth Secretariat London are working to produce reliable data on export for professional services in Nigeria.
When speaking at the inaugural meeting of the National Consultative Committee for the International Trade-in-Services (NCCITS) held under the Commonwealth Secretariat London, the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the NEPC, Mr Olusegun Awolowo, said Nigeria has no readily accessible and reliable data on trade-in-service.
Awolowo said they have tried before to create awareness on the trade-in service sector of the economy, including creating a National Strategy for Export of Professional Services in 2010.
He said the Commonwealth has helped Nigeria to develop a roadmap for the sector in 2016.
The spokesman of the NEPC said the current focus in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat is on data/statistics collection and management.
This is critical to our efforts in export as it fills the gap in collecting or capturing data from relevant institutions in order to generate, analyse and use statistical information on trade-in Service as it is globally.
NITDA, firm launch tech startup fund in July
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and a firm based in United States Mass Challenge have signed an agreement to financially support between 10 and 15 start-ups from July, to reach full potential withing 12 months.
Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi said this on Tuesday during a virtual media stakeholder engagement with officials of MassChallenge.
Abdullahi said the initiative was designated to identify and accelerate top start-ups based in Nigeria and grow businesses to serve the Nigerian and global market.
The DG of NITDA who said it would launch the initiative in July added that it would improve tech innovation and entrepreneurship in the country.
Start up a vibrant ecosystem is highly critical to the future of our country and it is vital to find solutions to our various challenges.
Innovation is a prominent way to create properity for all and to lift countries from poverty.
The CEO of MassChallenge, Siobhan Dullea, said the firm has supported over 2,900 start-ups across the world and that the firms have generated $3.6 billion revenue and create 86,000 jobs.
Kidnappers carry two women inside Abuja council
Kidnappers have taken two women, Christiana Isa Attah and Favor David, behind Anguwar Kpokpolobi community in Naharati, Abaji Area Council, FCT.
Mama of the two victims, Mrs. Ruth Attah, a retired school teacher, told our reporter at her home that around midnight on Saturday the incident happened.
She said she was sleeping and the children were in the room when the kidnappers enter the house after jumping a fence not too high.
She said they broke a window to enter the room where her children were sleeping and took a gun in hand.
When the girls noticed that they were trying to break the window, they ran into my room to hide, but the kidnappers followed them and took all of us out of the room, she said.
According to her, the kidnappers left her after some few metres past her house when they noticed that she was not able to walk because of old age.
It was after we crossed the river, which I couldn't go back home as the other gang members told me to go back home as they came home with my two children, she added.
A resident of the area, who wanted to be anonymous, said the kidnappers did the operation for more than one hour as they shot up to scare people from them.
He said no security man came here when the kidnappers were shot inside the air for over one hour.
Daily Trust learnt that until that very day, the woman and her children were always sleeping in neighbouring houses and went back home because they fear kidnappers as they were just a few metres from the river.
We also gathered that the daughter of the woman, a class teacher in the area, is preparing for a wedding next month.
The spokesman of the police command in FCT, ASP Maryam Yusuf, declined to pick or reply a text message sent to her fone to confirm the latest kidnap incident in the area.
Why I run for government in Anambra Anglican Priest
A Anglican Priest, Rev Godwin Okonkwo, has said he is racing for the November governorship election in Anambra State because he wants to bring the fear of God and knowledge of prudent use of resources to show on governance matter in the state.
Okonkwo, who spoke with Daily Trust on Wednesday shortly after speaking with his supporters in Awka, the Anambra state capital, said the state was lagging behind in terms of good governance.
The people here at now have not been able to manage the resources of Anambra State for the good of the Anambra people.
I believe we can do better than manage the resources of the state.
Time is reached to move from a lukewarm attitude of leadership to a better leadership.
I am for Apc to change the poor outing of the party in the state in recent years,he said.
Barty beat Kvitova to take part in last four matches with Badosa
Ashleigh Barty will take on Paula Badosa in the semifinal of the Madrid Open after beating Petra Kvitova 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 on Wednesday.
World No 1 Barty chase her fourth singles title for the year after winning in Stuttgart 10 days ago.
For the last four she will face the woman who beat her komot in the quarterfinal in Charleston in early April.
In Wednesday, the Australian came top against a winner of Wimbledon two times plus 2015, 2018 Madrid open winner Kvitova.
Wildcard Badosa becomes the first Spanish woman in the tournament that has been in the 12-year to make the semi with her 6-4, 7-5 win over eighth seed Belinda Bencic.
22 mummies of Pharaoh parade in Egypt
It was twenty-two mummies of pharaoh wlk on the street of Cairo on saturday evening in a stunning royal procession from Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square to the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in Fustat.
The event marked the launch of NMEC officially.
Against the backdrop of fireworks, the mummies“ 18 kings and four queens“ travelled in order of age on purpose-built gold-colored pharaonic chariots, equipped with an air ride suspension system to absorb vibrations, bearing the names of their occupants in Arabic, English, and hieroglyphics.
Seqenenre Tao II, who ruled Upper Egypt around 1,600 BCE, led the parade, as Ramses ix, who ruled in the 12th century BCE, brought up the rear.
As it follows the strict international standard for the transport of artifacts, the royal remains were placed in state-of-the-art sterile display cases to guarantee immaculate preservation.
It was 60 motorcycles, 150 horses, and a pharaonic music ensemble led by renowned Egyptian maestro Nader Abbass conducted follow the mummie.
The procession started with a 21-gun salute, circled the obelisk at the Tahrir Square close, and then proceeded along the Nile to NMEC, where Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi personally welcomed the mummies to their new permanent home in Fustat, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.
The parade that lasted 40 minutes drew the participation of 12 celebs in Egypt, as 200+ global TV channels broadcast it.
The pricelees artifacts will spend the next two weeks at the NMECs laboratory, where they will prepare them for installation in the Royal Mummies Hall, located in the valley of the kings.
The Royal Mummies Hall will be open to visitors on April 18, which coincides with World Heritage Day.
To promote the launch, NMEC offered 50 percent discount on entry ticket prices to the Central Exhibition Hall for visitors from April 4 to 17.
To add, representatives of local and international media have the opportunity to take pictures and video the artifacts inside the Central Exhibition Hall for free on April 4 and 5.
Overlooking Ain Al Sira in the heart of the historical city of ustat near Babylon Fortress, NMEC is one of the largest and most important archeology museums in the world. and the first to last for the whole civilization in Egypt.
Uproar arrested in Kano prison over illicit drugs
Pandemonium was reported in Kano central prison in Kurmawa on Thursday evening over illicit drugs.
The uproar started when the warders in the prison were detecting and sieze cannabis allegedly brought to inmates on Thursday evening.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) in Kano State, Musbahu Lawal Kofar Nasarawa, confirmed the matter, adding that the committee was set to find out how the cannabis entered into the centre.
He said, A person brought cannabis into the prison and our operatives collected it and asked that we should give them.
We have set up a committees already to find out how such illicit drugs get into the house; whether it was put into the food brought to one of the prisoners or someone conspiring with some of our operatives.
The action does not have anything with jailbreak, it is just an uproar, we have already reinforced orders back in custodial centre, he added.
Rumour is that the prisoners want to break the jail to take attempts to escape as they rejected the food given to them to take break fast, because they collected bug donations from philanthropists.
The spokesman of NCoS has debunk the rumour, described them as baseless.
Daily Trust reports that the 100 years prison in Kurmawa area, behind Palace of Emir in the metropolis is the biggest custodial centre in the state.
FG calls for global action against terrorism, drug trafficking
The federal government urged world leaders to give international cooperation strength as part of efforts to successfully fight terrorism and carrying drugs, plus other kinds of crimes.
This is even as Nigeria expressed concern over the incident of bad financial flow from a developing economy to a developing economy in the world.
This is part of the position presented by Nigeria at the conference of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, in Vienna.
The spokesman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Femi Babafemi, was speaking as the Chairman/Chief Executive of the agency, Brig-Gen.
Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), who presented the position of Nigeria in item 6C and 7 at the meeting, said as the nation deepens cooperation and strengthens the processes of combating the financing of terrorism and prevention of terrorists from benefitting from ransom payments, it also is important for them to not overlook trafficking of bad drugs.
It is also necessary to put an eye on and control as illicit traffic spreads, drugs that affect brains, leading to violence.
Nigeria also worry that the link between terrorism and other forms of crime like corruption, bad flow of money, money laundering, has grown, illicit trafficking in drugs, cybercrime, trafficking in people and smuggling of migrants, Marwa said.
When delivering a statement from Nigeria in item 6C on Wednesday, Marwa said as nation renewed its desire to improve international cooperation to address every kind of crime, Nigeria urged all state, once again, to make sincere efforts, to address the cause from the root, including; poverty, economic deprivation, inequality, drug abuse, plus other socio-economic factors.
When presenting the statement of the country on item 7 on Thursday, Marwa said, Nigeria notes with great concern the incidence of illicit financial flows, we pass through the financial system every year, from developing and developed analysis.
To advise the people doing this bad, including financial institutions that act as enablers, should state parties make sure that illicit financial flow, when tracked, remains in the custody of financial institutions but transform it into escrow accounts, preferably in development banks pending return to countries of origin.
In this regard, we are calling for implementation of the recommendations of the facti panel in support of access recreation and the agenda 2030 for sustainable development.
Timipre Sylva, Kurfi celebrate as Chelsea win Champions League
Two prominent people in the former Governor of Bayelsa State and present Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr. Timipre Marlin Sylva and the Chairman of Katsina State Football Association, Alhaji Aminu Balele Kurfi were better celebrated on Sunday after Chelsea football club won a champions league title.
In a final all English, former champions Chelsea shocked Man City 1-0 at the Estadio.
Do Dragao for Porto to win second trophy?
Kai Havertz, one of the expensive additions from last summer, scored the goal that decided to put a third defeat in a row on Pep Guardiola's City.
Moments after the match, the former governor tweeted I supported Chelsea FC for UCL trophy, and I did not regret.
Kurfi who watched proceedings in Abuja with Sylva said he created time to watch the match with the former Bayelsa State governor to support and celebrate with him after the match.
I need to support him because he is an avid fan of Chelsea.
I also believe that at the end, he has a reason to celebrate.
Not everyone knows that His Excellency Timipre Sylva has passion for sports, especially football.
In my path, as the Chairman of Katsina State Football Association, I am father to all supporters of different clubs in my state.
I was with Chelsea from where I was loaned to Katsina United.
From United, I was loaned to Kufri Tigers, and presently, I am in every club, as Kufri speaks like playing like playing.
Election in Uganda: President Museveni has early lead, rivals say fraud
President Yoweri Museveni has taken an early lead in the pesidential election in Ugand, according to results entered from the electoral commission on Friday morning.
This is as his main rival said he had proof that fraud entered the election.
As he has 29.4 per cent of votes from the ballot voted on Thursday, Museveni has won 1,852,263 votes, or 63.9 per cent as main opposition candidate Bobi Wine has 821,874 or 28.4 per cent, the commission said just after 11.00 a.m. (0800 GMT).
Wine alleges fraud
Wine, a young Ugandan lawmaker who has led young Ugandans with calls for political change, told news conference on Friday that he had video of fraud during the vote, and that as the vote ended in peace he wants.
He has said in a tweet early that he has confidence in winning despite fraud and violence.
Museveni, who has led the country in East Africa with 46 million people for 34 years, has not said anything as at noon.
Internet blackout
In Wednesday, the government orders to block internet till further notice, a day after banning all social media and messaging app them.
Wine and his supporters used Facebook to show live coverage of his campaigns and news conferences after he said many media outlets declined to host him.
The election campaign was spoiled with a deadly crackdown on opposition candidates and supporters.
The capital of Uganda, Kampala, normally quieted on Friday, a public holiday after the vote on Thursday, closed most shops.
Soldiers patrolled in rain in a suburb visited by Reuters.
Commission head, Simon Byabakama, assured the nation on live TV on Thursday evening after polls closed that results were in the national tally centre despite the nationwide internet blackout.
We do not use local internet to transmit results, we use our own systems, he said, without giving details of the system.
No worries, results will come, Byabakama said.
New wave of pandemic has hit more in Japans prefectures.
Japan has been able to expand the present state of emergency to cover three more provinces, the government said on Friday.
This follows a widespread infection of coronavirus in the country ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in summer.
The prefectures in Hokkaido, Okayama and Hiroshima are likely to get the measure from Sunday to enter the end of May, Economic Revitalisation Minister, Yasutoshi Nishimura, told newsmen.
A panel of experts endorsed the proposal, as Nishimura, in charge of the coronavirus response by the government, said.
The northern island of Hokkaido recorded 712 new infections on Thursday as the western prefecture of Hiroshima also saw record of 219 new cases on Wednesday.
As the infection grows, Hiroshima and Okayama canceled their torch relay for a nest week on public roads.
International Olympic Committee President, Thomas Bach, should participate in the torch relay event in Hiroshima on May 17.
However, local organizers said Bach had postponed his travel to Japan before the games.
The postponement was made as the government extended the state of emergency in Tokyo plus three other prefectures until until the end of May, and added two more regions called Aichi, Fukuoka in the measure.
The government declared the state of emergency in the four prefectures in April, requesting bars and restaurants to stop serving alchohol and not be allowed to offer karaoke services again.
Experts have given warning that more contagious variants may spread quickly, especially as the roll-off of the coronavirus vaccine is very slow since it was launched in mid-February.
Only one per cent of Japan's population is only one per cent.
They have vaccinated 125 million of people fully.
Farmers will benefit from mechanised farms in Jigawa
The Malam Alu Agro Allied Company, a farm located on a 100-hectare of land in Faru village, along Maiduguri road, Birnin Kudu Local Government Area of Jigawa State, has changed the pception in mechanised farming in Nigeria, the GM of the Mansur Dau Aliyu said.
As the farm was established almost five years ago, as we gather, was a direct response to the call by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to return to agriculture as the mainstay of the economy in the nation, rather than rely on it as the source of revenue in the country.
Each cattle has a nomba tag attached to it in the ear.
Founder of the company, Farouk Adamu Aliyu, a former member of the House of Representatives keyed into it, the GGM added.
We are doing greenhouse farming.
We have 10,000 square-metres of fully automated soilles greenhouse, where we produce tomatoes.
We also have two 250 square-metre greenhouses where we produce other greenhouse vegetables, plus another 500 square-metre greenhouse, which we use as a nursery.
This greenhouse is all foreign-oriented, which we have installed to produce a variety of vegetables.
Only tomatoes are produced in the 10,000 square automated soilless greenhouse; and we produce an average of 10 to 11 ton of tomato every week.
We have another 10,000 square-metre locally fabricated greenhouse.
We also have livestock section, where we have over 300 herds of cattle, some camels, goat and sheep, he said.
Daily Trust learnt that the farm also has a fishery unit, with about 50,000 fish in the pond.
Similarly, a forty-ton per hour fertilizer blending plant installed in the early part of the year, as we have heard, has produced reach 300 loads of NPK fertilizer under the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative.
We have imported equipment that can install 120,000 capacity in poultry systems.
We hope to produce between 3,000-4,000 crates of egg in one day, Mansur said.
He said the farm also has a plant where they do diary, producing 2,000 litres of milk in one day, adding that they also have about 150-200 hectres of land elsewhere leaved for open field farming plus cultivation of rice and other crops.
Masur said major customers of the tomato are premium customers, notably, big big hotels in Abuja and Lagos, plus some other locations.
He confirmed, however, that the main market for the product is mainly in the eastern part of the country like Enugu, Onitsha, Owerri.
However, he admits that apart from the small customers in Kano, they are not too keen to see tomato products in local markets because of some reasons.
First, the fact that the tomato produced in their farm is a special specie and the second reason is the fact that Jigawa is a major area of producing tomato.
You know that tomato is a common product here, so it is priced lower than what is open market.
So, essentially, people don't actually dye on our side, they fell apprehensive with what we have because they believe it costs.
And when you have a product that is available for everyone, it is sure that people will buy the cheapest one.
It is a farm hand feeding the fish.
When asked about the average lifespan of tomato products, he said, If you give the tomato every day, it means that nutritional supplement you take to feed it as it grows, if you give it all of these things, the tomato can last until three weeks after harvest.
But even without it, it will last for a minimum of one week, not in refrigeration, and not in preure and plenty of heat.
You can put it on a table where better ventilation is.
It can last for an average of 10 days, but if it is provided as required (every nutrient) it can last beyond one month.
We have experimented, but then, it is not as you always want.
The farm is a source of employment for more than 200 people in the village where it was located.
He also said the company had some people to train the youths in the area on information technology skills.
He further said most of the equipment used in the farm are from Turkey, except the fertilizer-blending machine, imported from China.
He said even the farming method is similar to that in Turkey, because they have Turkish partners helping them to maintain the standard, but quickly he added that the company is conscious to allow Nigerians to run the tachnical aspect of its operation.
Reflecting on the effect of COVID-19 on the operation of the company, Mansur said, Malam Alu, as other corporate entities in the country, suffer from devastating effects of the virus.
In Mansur, youths in Nigeria don't have an excuse to remain unemployed with the kind of opportunities provided by agriculture, noting that the people looking for white-collar jobs should adjust to the reality and go back to agriculture.
He believes Nigeria has been doing what it should be done for a long time before, noting that if the country has taken this step, it would have cornered the present economic woes.
2023: Lawmakers seek better deal in Southern Kaduna
The member representing Jaba Constituency in the State House of Assembly in Kaduna, Samson Monday Dikko, called on better people to come together and map out strategies to salvage Southern Kaduna Senatorial District and people in 2023.
As he said after a meeting with stakeholders in Kagoro, Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State on the weekend, Dikko, aspiring to be senator in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the people who should care for Southern Kaduna people had abandoned them.
This is the time for the entire Southern Kaduna people to get it right.
We need to transform our region and improve security, education, health, agriculture, economy, employment and empowerment for the teeming youths and we will do this with a non-governmental organization, he added.
The Director-General of the Campaign Organisation for Dikko, Timothy Chindo Kwassam, said the destiny of the people of Kaduna South Senatorial District will be on their own hand if Dikko represents them in the Senate in 2023.
For everythimg under the sun, there is reason.
So as Dikko came in this critical period of time, it was not an ordinary coincidence, but a divine play from God to liberate the region from hindering it from growing and compete with other regions, Kwassam said.
3 Africans, no Nigerians are among, as City, Chelsea contest UEFA Champions League final
No doubt that football fans in Nigeria are eagerly waiting for the 2020/2021 UEFA Champions League finals to be held tonight when two English clubs Manchester City and Chelsea will contest in the Estadio do Dragao, Porto in Portugal.
With view of the fact that UEFA Champions League is one of the biggest football competitions only next to FIFA World Cup and the Olympic football event, level of expectation has increased as giant in the English Premier League are set to fight for the prestigious diadem.
As Manchestre City never won Champions League titles before, chelsea won first and only title in 2012.
Therefore, even though football pundits have tipted City who just won Premiership number seven to win this night, Chelsea will enter into the contest with their credentials.
They were former soldiers.
However, as Thomas Tuchel who led the technical crew in Chelsea never won the Champions League, his opponent in Manchester City dugout, Pep Guardiola has won it two times.
He won it with Barcelona in 2009 and in 2010.
Therefore, there is a lot to expect from the actors who will move into the field at Estadio.
Do Dragao in Porto and the men responsible for the technical area.
Interestingly, even as both contestants have only three African players in Riyad Mahrez (Algeria, Manchester City), Hakim Ziyech (Morococo, Chelsea) and Edourad Menday (
Senegal, Chelsea) The interest of Africa in the final has dropped.
In Nigeria here, where Chelsea and Manchester City enjoy plenty followers from passionate football fans, expection has caused fever, and has led to interesting realignment.
Fans of the other clubus who have moved out of other stages of the Champions League have re-aligned themselves with either Chelsea or Manchester City as their interests are diverse.
The consequence is that the final is one of the most popular topics in sports at the moment and fans of the premiereship club have continued to predict as the final result could be.
However, while almost everyone is waiting to savour the football artistry that can be displayed, some pundits say the number of African players in the final of the biggest football competition on earth has been reduced.
If we follow history in the UEFA Champions League, only 24 African footballers have contested and won the trophy with European clubs.
It was sad that African football legends like Liberia's George Weah who was voted World Footballer of the Year in 1995, were voted World Footballers of the Year in 1995.
Rashidi Yekini of Nigeria, Mohamed Aboutrika of Egypt, Roger Mila of Cameroon, Jay-Jay Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, Taribo West and Victor Ikpeba of Nigeria, Rigobert Song of Cameroon and Hassam Hassan of Egypt won the Champions League without a ball.
Although Mo Salah (Egypt), Sadio Mane (Senegal), Joel Matip (Cameroon) and Naby Keita (Guinea) were on the big stage when Liverpool won their 6th UEFa Champions League title in 2019, the first African to win the trophy was Bruce Grobbelaar of Zimbabwe.
He achieved the feat with Liverpool in 1984.
It was Algerian legend Rabah Madjer who won with FC Porto in 1987 and Abedi Pele (Ghana) in 1993 with Olympique Marseille following him, before Nigeria.
Duo of George Findi and Nwankwo Kanu lifted him with Ajax Amsterdam in 1995.
He also recorded that Geremi Njitap of Cameroon was the first African to win the title twice in 2000 and 2002 with Spanish giants Real Madrid, Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon won it three times with Barcelona 2006, 2009 and 2010 with Inter Milan.
Oda African who has won the highly coveted trophy is Ibrahim Tanko (Ghana)
Borussia Dortmund 1997, Samuel Kuffour (Ghana) Bayern Munich 2001, Benni McCarthy (South Africa) FC Porto 2004, Djimi Traore (Mali)
Liverpool 2005, Yaya Toure (Cote dIvoire)
Barcelona 2009 & 2011, Seydou Keita (Mali) Barcelona 2009 & 2011, Sully Muntari (Ghana)
Inter Milan 2010 and McDonald Mariga (Kenya) 2010.
John Mikel Obi (Nigeria), Michael Essien (Ghana), Salomon Kalou (Cote d'Ivoire), Didier Drogba (Cote d'Ivoire) who won it with Chelsea in 2012 and Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), with Real Madrid 2018 complete the list of Africans who have won the UEFA Champions League.
To come close to home, the last Nigerian player won the trophy was 2012 when Mikel Obi was among AFricans who lifted the trophy with Chelsea at the expense of Bayern Munich.
After that achievement by the former captain of Super Eagles, Nigeria saw other talented players rise, like Ahmed Musa, Wilfred Ndidi, Kelechi Iheanacho, Alex Iwobi, William Troost-Ekong, Leon Balogun, Ola Aina, Isaac Success, Chigozie Awaziem, Tyrone Ebuehi, Moses Simon and lately Victor Osimhen.
But none of them have been featured in the final of the biggest club competition in Europe.
The reason is not clear.
The top five clubs in Europe Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Manchester United and Liverpool dominate the competition.
Unfortunately, Nigerian players have failed to enter highly rated clubs in Europe.
It is hope of Nigerian football stakeholders that very soon the new generation of players will break barriers and begin to play in clubs with potential to win the UEFA Champions League.
If this fails, then the football fans in Nigeria will continue to live with the agony of watching finals of the UEFA Champions League come and go, without the presence of any Nigerian player.
As Nigerians are waiting for the next Super Eagle player to rise to the top of the European club competition the way Find George, Nwankwo Kanu did with Ajax in 1995 and Mikel Obi in 2012, there are few hours left for the 2021 All English clubs final.
For the end, victory will be for the Manchester club hunting for the first title ot the Londoners who were primed in the second itle and the most watched football leagues in the world, Premiership will be the ultimate winner.
Eyimba forces FC IfeanyiUbah to 2-2 draw in the Oriental derby
Enyimba FC came from behind to secure a 2- draw in their week 14 fixture rescheduled against Oriental players FC IfeanyiUbah at the Aba international stadium.
The orietal derby saw Eyimba make three changes to the team who lost at Rivers United on Sunday.
Sadiq Abubakar returned after weeks of layoff while Anthony Omaka and Victor Mbaoma enter the starting line up again.
The first 28 minutes of the game saw both sides trying to hit first but the visiting side draw first blood through Saidu Adamu who took him home from close range after Uche Onuoha headed Evans Ogbonda cross to meet him.
As the away side have full control of the game, they have more confidence and that leave the host to scramble to get back into the game as the first end was 1-0 in favour of the visitors.
In the second half, IfeanyiUbah continued to press for the second goal and got the reward when Saidu Adamu got his brace after getting Awazie square pass over the line in the 61st minute.
As the second goal stinged them to life, Eyimba started throwing everythimg in his arsenal to get back into the game.
In the 78th minute, the presence paid off as Reuben Bala reduced the deficit in Eyimba in a lucky fashion.
Sharp Uzoigwe kept out his initial header but the ball roll back to him and over the line.
The goal was to give Eyimba some hope as they continue to press for plunty nomba to secure a point at least.
And this was done in 90th minute through Imot Obot.
Following this result, Eyimba has moveed up to 5th position with 31 points from 17 games with two more outstanding matches.
Meanwhile, FC IfeanyiUbah are still in the relegation zone with 17 points in 19 games.
Farmers are apprehensive as planting season begins with erratic rain.
As wet season has commenced in most parts of the season, farmers are beginning to panic with fear as rain is erratic and could threaten production.
rainfall in Benue, Nasarawa, Niger, Kaduna and part of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and many farmers have planted crops.
In the 2019/2020 wet season, erratic rain in the north and mid-season draught in the south-west caused farmers to lose money due to crop failure.
Musa Yohana and Halima Thomas, farmers in Doma and Lafia, Nasarawa State, said they have planted maize, groundnut plus other crops such as casava and yam but feared that they may have another horrible experience like last season when they were forced to plant maize and groundnut two times.
I lost my yam last year due to too much heat due to rainfall.
This year, we have been second week in May but there has been no rainfall.
And I have already planted 15 measures (about 20kg) of groundnut.
If this continues for another one week, I can lose all the seeds, Mr Yohana said.
Like them, many farmers around the FCT have planted too, but fear of crop failure as experienced last year.
For Benue State, In Benue State, our correspondent recalled that farmers have started cultivating land and plant crops on complaining that rain has not falled.
Some farmers who prepare their farms earlier in the tear said they could not begin to plant until one week ago, as others just started clearing land at the wake of the rainfall three times withing two weeks later.
A farmer in Otukpo, Ada hyacinth, said the ground is still too strong to cultivate because the rain does not fall frequently.
Another farmer, Felix Tor, in Makurdi said he just planted melons and maize on his cleared farm despite the consistent rainfall.
Tor however expressed fear that the nature of the rainfall may affect the well-being of the crop.
He prayed that the yield would be better in the end.
But Vitalis Tarnongu, who has cleared his 1,000 hectares of farmland in the federal Unversity of Agriculture, in Makurdi (FUAM), said as the rainfall this year will make him begin to plant maize towards the end of May.
Tarnongu said a plant breeder in the University has advised him to wait until May 20 to start planting his maize because the nature of the rainfall since the season suggested that it may not fall for two weeks.
The sate chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Aondongu Saaku, described farming as a business worth taking risk on.
Saaku said farmers seen as business have taken the risk to a lot of their crops already because without that kind of risk they would not reap at the end of the day.
Meanwhile, Dr Teryima Iorlamen, seed system specialist at FUAm, said farmers can go ahead to plant root and tuber crops following the prediction of rainfall made this year.
Iorlamen said the period of waiting for farmers has passed, stressing that the prediction of NIMET on rainfall pattern in Benue State, which (experts) work with, indicate that rain will stabilise in the state between April 18 and April 30, 2021.
We can assure farmers now that rain has stabilised, according to predictions by NIMET.
Anything different for now will be a dry spell.
I have advised farmers to check water logging capacity in the field so that they can plant crops as they are supposed to plant.
Rice likes a lot of water, so time has not been enough to plant it.
But farmers can enter root and tubers now, which includes yam, cassava, maize and melon.
We believe the rain has stabilised.
Senate mourns late Army Chief, Ahmed Gulak
The Senate, on Tuesday, held a minute silence to honour the demise of former presidential aide, Ahmed Gulak, who was killed with a strong eye on sunday in Owerri, Imo state capital.
This motion followed a motion by Deputy Senate President and chairman of the Senate on Senate Constitution review Committee, Ovie Omo-Agege, on the floor of the Red Chamber.
Omo-Agege draws attention of his colleagues to the killing of Gulak, who the lawmaker was hire to assist his committee on the amendment of the Nigerian people in the constitution.
Gulak was serving as consultant to the committee and entered Owerri for the public hearing on the review of the 199 constitution.
Though the programme was ended on Thursday, Gulak stayed behind and departed on Sunday.
He was killed while heading to the airport in Owerri on his way to Abuja.
Omo-Agege described Gulak as a Nigerian who does not do tribal things, who gives his best to the service of the country.
Also, on Tuesday, the Senate urged the federal government to immortalise the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Ibrahim Attahiru.
The red chamber also observed a minute silence to take home Lt. Gen. Attahiru, who died in a plane crash near Kaduna International Airport.
This one follows a point of order by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Army Matters, Senator Ali Ndume.
NIN/profile code: NANS raises voice concerning disenfranchisement of students by JAMB
The Kaduna State Chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Tuesday said thousands of candidates would not take part in the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) this year.
Examination on hitches in the NIN/Profile code.
NANS chairman in the state, Axiz Huziafa Bello, in a statement issued yesterday in Kaduna disagreed with the JAMB.
Bello called for an extension of the electronic registration instead of risking the life of students to travel to the headquarters of JAMB in the states for manual registration.
He noted that the news bulletin released on Monday with the title Issues surrounding the 2021 UTME registration: Option available for genuine candidates who made attempts but could not register, showed that the management had failed to show sorry face for the hardship and agony the candidates face.
He appealed to prominent Nigerians to prevail on the management of JAMB to stop making things hard for students in Nigeria as they are trying to get higher education and develop them.
He urged the examination body to extend the registration period and postpone the exam to do justice and fairness.