Agriculture Is The Arrowhead Of Buhari’s Economic Recovery, Osinbajo Insists

August 16, 2016

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari is positioning agriculture as the arrowhead of the economic recovery effort and that it is one of the most critical components of the plan to revive the economy.
“There is no question at all that if we get agriculture right, we will get our economy right.”
Osinbajo, who spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at the public presentation of ‘The Green Alternative’, The Buhari Administration’s Agricultural Promotion Policy, said: The roadmap that we are about to present, identifies two key challenges. The first is the inability to meet domestic food requirements: this is a productivity challenge driven by an input system and farming model that is likely inefficient, the lack of good seeds, fertilisers, irrigation, crop protection etc.
“And two: the inability to export at the level required for marketing, which is typified by an inefficient system for setting and enforcing food quality, poor knowledge of target markets, a weak inspectorate system and poor coordination amongst relevant agencies.
“With great clarity, ‘The Green Alternative’ sets out strategies for resolving these challenges.
“I am personally impressed that The Roadmap does not dismiss the Agricultural policies of the past. Indeed, the policy says that it is “building on the successes of the agricultural transformation agenda, closing the gap.”
The Vice President said that the problem has never been a lack of policy, but that it has always been the focus and capacity to stick to the plan, to modify when necessary and ensure also that the plan aligns with all aspects of the economic plan of the Government.
He said that a policy encouraging local food production cannot work with another policy that has a high tariff on imported agricultural equipment.
“There is no way that we can encourage local production, when we allow unbridled importation of the same things that we are trying to produce. “There is no way we can do the scale of agricultural production both for domestic consumption and export, without ensuring local improved seedling development, alongside those that have been bought and of course encouraging the work of the Agencies, and the Ministry of Science and Technology, who have been making great strides in local development of agricultural improvement.”
He said that the nation’s social investment programmes ought to be designed to align with its agricultural and other policies.
“So, of the 500,000 Teacher Corps that will be engaged, 100,000 of them will be trained as extension workers for our farms. Our Home Grown School Feeding Programme which seeks to provide a meal a day to primary school children is described as ‘homegrown’ specifically because the food will be from the farms in each state.
“Some of the states that have started the programme are already seeing the important multiplier effects in their agricultural sector.
“Financing of agriculture is also a crucial policy. With double digit interest rate at the moment, we must develop some funding options in the short term. The Anchor Borrowers’ Scheme of the CBN has proved to be extremely useful. Indeed the phenomenal success of the Kebbi State rice programme where the farmers move from 3.5MT per hectare to 7.5MT per hectare was largely because of the single digit interest rate extended by the Anchor Borrowers’ Scheme of the CBN which they used to purchase the right fertilizer quality and other inputs.”
Osinbajo said that the ministry of Finance has concluded plans to recapitalize and re-engineer the Bank of Agriculture and that it is expected that before the end of this quarter, the Bank of Agriculture should be ready to give single digit interest loans to farmers.
He commended the minister of agriculture and rural development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, for spearheading the effort of developing this roadmap which is the nation’s pathway to sustained and rapid progress in the agricultural sector.
“Indeed, not only has Chief Audu Ogbeh developed this roadmap effectively and within a very short time but he has also conducted advocacy of the kind we have not seen in a long time in the agricultural sector.” [myad]

I Will Stop Nigerians, Others From Entering America If I Win, Donald Trump Vows

Greenbarge Reporters

August 16, 2016

Republican candidate in the forthcoming Presidential election in the United States of America, Donald Trump has threatened to suspend Nigerians and other nationals that are contending with terrorism from entering America if he wins and become the next President.
He stressed that for America and its allies to defeat Islamic State (IS) and other global terrorism, there is need for the United States to wage an unrelenting ideological fight, comparing the modern day terrorism to the Cold War era.
He vowed to temporarily suspend immigration from “the most dangerous and volatile regions of the world” and judge allies solely on their participation in America’s mission to root out Islamic terrorism.
In a speech at Youngstown State University in Ohio, a critical swing state where polls show him trailing Hillary Clinton, Trump combined old vows to seize Middle Eastern oil fields with the announcement of a series of new, if still vague, proposals to change America’s battlefield tactics.
“Just as we won the Cold War, in part by exposing the evils of communism and the virtues of free markets, so too must we take on the ideology of radical Islam,” he said.
He again tried to change his politically inflammatory approach to immigration, replacing his 2015 vow to bar Muslims from entering the United States with a new commitment to bar anyone from parts of the world where terrorism breeds.
Once again, he did not name those countries, or say whether citizens of longtime allies where terrorists have plotted and executed attacks — Germany, France and Belgium among them — would be included.
Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the border with Mexico, also said he would call for “extreme vetting” of immigrants that would include requiring them to respond to a questionnaire with an “ideological test.”
Over all, he appeared to be arguing for the kind of terrorism-centric foreign policy that President George W. Bush adopted after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
But over time, that approach ran into complications: China and Russia used the fight against terrorism to crack down on Muslim minorities. And the Bush administration eventually discovered that a one-dimensional approach, measuring countries almost exclusively on their commitment to fighting Islamic terrorists, left it little leverage when their partners in counter-terrorism took other steps opposed to American interests — from the Chinese claiming portions of the South China Sea to increasing Russian threats against former Soviet states.
Monday’s speech represented another attempt by Mr. Trump to focus on issues after a rocky period in his campaign, much as he did last Monday with a speech on the economy.
He laid the blame for the rise of Islamic extremism on President Obama and Mrs. Clinton. He said they made “a catastrophic mistake” in “the reckless way in which they pulled out” of Iraq. He charged that Mrs. Clinton compounded the error by attempting to “build a democracy in Libya.”
He argued that Mrs. Clinton had been a vocal proponent of the American intervention in Libya in 2011, which Mr. Obama has repeatedly acknowledged was the most ill-thought-out foreign policy move in his nearly eight years in office. He also charged that “Hillary Clinton wants to be America’s Angela Merkel,” a reference to the German chancellor.
Germany has taken in tens of thousands of refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria, in which fighting between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, rebels opposed to his rule and Islamic State jihadists has claimed 400,000 lives.
Trump offered no criticism of Mr. Assad, but criticized the Obama administration for advocating the removal of the Syrian leader and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, who was deposed in the first blush of the Arab Spring, because doing so took out the strongmen who kept the lid on violence in the region.
He pledged to form a new partnership with Israel, Egypt and Jordan to try to stop the spread of terrorism, including groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. He also suggested that the United States would be well served by joining forces with Russia against the Islamic State. [myad]

Sorry, We Did Not Mean To Declare Salkida, Aisha And Bolori Wanted – Nigeria Army

Greenbarge Reporters

August 16, 2016

Nigerian Army has said that it did not mean to declare Ahmed Salkida, Aisha Wakili Alkali and Ahmed U. Bolori wanted as was widely reported in local and international media on Sunday.

Army Spokesperson, Colonel Rabe Usman, who spoke on Channels Television on Tuesday, said: “declaring them wanted was not our intention.

“We are inviting them to come and shed more light on Boko Haram so that collectively we can achieve the desired goal,’ the army spokesman said. [myad]

Sheriff Angry With Justice Watila, Threatens To Report Him To Judicial Commission

Greenbarge Reporters

August 16, 2016

Factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator ‎Ali Modu Sheriff is angry with Justice Watila Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Port-Harcourt for giving the Makarfi faction of the party a go-ahead to hold a national convention on Wednesday after it had been stopped by another Federal High Court in Abuja.

Modu Sheriff threatened to write a petition against the judge to the National Judicial Council and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mahmoud Mohammed over the matter.

The PDP factional chairman, who spoke to news men in Abuja on Tuesday said that he was shocked by the order issued by Justice Watila validated Wednesday’s national convention on the ground that the July 4 2016 which upheld the decision taken at the May 21, 2016 convention was still subsisting.

“‎We are shocked even with that ruling. All the judges in Nigeria are on annual vacation. We have been in court with all of them for the past one month on an issue that a judge went into in Port Harcourt which started on Friday; people went and filed court cases on Thursday and got an exparte motion, which has been frowned at by the judiciary for now.

“Most stakeholders in the judiciary don’t want exparte motion because it denies justice to others. But let’s accept that the judge decided to do that. The life span of the exparte motion is 14 days, which means you have time to serve the other people to respond.

“On that Thursday, the judge gave exparte motion. The next day he converted that exparte motion to interlocutory order. On Monday, he sat and heard the main case to give a ruling or judgment today at 2pm without allowing us as defendants to defend ourselves.

“This morning, when our lawyers went to court, the judge authorized all the registry staff to run away. It took our lawyer, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria to call everybody in Nigeria that this judiciary should not be destroyed. From 9am till now (4pm), they are receiving our own response to the application. [myad]

Hold Convention And Risk Jail, Court Warns PDP

Greenbarge Reporters

August 16, 2016

Justice Okon Abang of an Abuja Federal High Court has sounded a note of warning to the leadership of Makarfi-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to go ahead with its proposed national convention in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, August 17, unless they want to go to jail for contempt.

The judge on Tuesday, turned the interim order which he earlier gave into an interlocutory injunction that will subsist till the time the substantive suit is heard and determined even as he adjourned the hearing of the case till September 7.

He gave a stern warning to the Chairman and Secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to monitor the planned convention.

The judge, who faulted the decision of the Port Harcourt Division of the Federal High Court to assume jurisdiction on the case relating to the PDP convention, also directed that his order be endorsed with Form 48 (Notice of disobedience of court order) and served on the INEC chairman and secretary.

He said that failure by INEC or any of the defendants to comply with his order “will attract disciplinary action” provided “the plaintiffs ‎know what to do.”

He made the order after the plaintiffs, comprising the factional National Chairman of the PDP, Ali Modu Sheriff and others moved their motion praying for the interlocutory order on ‎Tuesday.

The judge held that the motion was not opposed as the respondents, including members of Ahmed Makarfi-led ‎caretaker committee of the party, failed to file a counter-affidavit opposing the motion.

He said that the Makarfi-led caretaker committee members who were only on Tuesday joined as the third to the ninth respondents adopted strategy of not filing counter-affidavit but other processes that were not found in the court file.

“They must sink and float with their legal strategy,” the judge ruled.

Justice Abang said the request for an adjournment by their counsel, Mr. Yunus Ustaz (SAN) and Chief Ferdinand Orbih (SAN), after the plaintiffs’ counsel, Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), had moved his motion was an afterthought.

Counsel for the PDP, Mr. Olagoke Fakule (SAN) and that of INEC, Alhassan Umar, did not oppose the application.

The judge ruled: “In any case, the plaintiffs’ application ‎is not opposed by any of the parties. The law must take its course. The facts placed before this court are unchallenged by the respondents when they had the opportunity to do so. The facts deposed to by the plaintiffs are credible.”

The judge blamed the Port Harcourt division of the Federal High Court for the conflicting orders that had so far been issued by him and from Port Harcourt.

Justice Abang said the Chief Judge, Justice Ibrahim Auta, having first assigned the case relating to PDP convention to him as far back as July 4, the Port Harcourt division ought to have drawn the CJ’s attention to the a case later filed with respect to the same subject matter. [myad]

For America’s Sake, Donald Trump Must Lose, By Bunmi Makinwa

Greenbarge Reporters

August 16, 2016

Abrasive, accusative, aggressive and abusive, Donald Trump at initial stage of primaries for a Republican Party nominee for president of the United States seemed a joke. He was notorious for having insisted that President Barack Obama was not born in the USA. As the number of contestants increased in the primaries, Trump was expected to drop out. Surprisingly, he kept on waxing stronger. Unopposed, he was nominated as presidential candidate of the party. He had sent his 14 rivals crashing out one after the other.

The primaries witnessed unforgettable profane language, mainly dished out by Trump against his opponents. For example, he characterized former Governor Jeb Bush as having “low energy” and was “Dumb as a rock!”. Senator Ted Cruz did not know whether to laugh or cry when Trump posted an unattractive picture of Cruz’s wife, Heidi, juxtaposed against that of Melania, his supermodel wife. To Carly Florina, the only woman in the group, Trump said: “Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that as the face of our next president?” Senator Marco Rubio had taken to calling Trump “Big Don” whilst he was “Little Marco” to Trump, a thinly veiled reference to their exchange earlier on sizes of their masculine organs.

Trump’s supporters hailed him as authentic, straight and not corrupted by the establishment.

But around the world, media reports and many world leaders could not comprehend how Trump could be America’s best candidate for any office, least of all aspiring to become president of USA.

In December 2015, then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron disagreed with Trump’s comments on London police, and called them “divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong.” Then Mayor of London Boris Johnson said that they “were ill-informed”. Sadiq Khan, who later became Mayor of London, said Trump “can’t just be dismissed as a buffoon – his comments are outrageous, divisive and dangerous”. Britain, the closest ally of USA is hardly known to express such official views on American presidential candidates. But Trump was unusual and his personality draws ire, as it attracts unwavering following.

“A person who thinks only about building walls — wherever they may be — and not building bridges, is not Christian,” Pope Francis said of Trump. “His discourse is so dumb, so basic,” said Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa. Mexican President Enrique Pena said, “That’s the way Mussolini arrived and the way Hitler arrived.” “Trump is an irrational type,” said Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei. The numerous world leaders who admonished Trump included French President Francois Hollande, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Isaac Herzog, Israeli opposition leader, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Germany’s Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, Prime Minister of France Manuel Valls, and Danish Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen.

Somehow, those who cried,”No” were drowned out by the “Yes” noise. Trump’s increasing high opinion poll in the USA was surprising, to put it mildy. Fawning crowd filled his campaign gathering.

How could a country that has so much to offer be imprisoned by such limited viewpoint? America has produced more breakthrough research findings, more discoveries, more knowledge in almost any field of human endeavour, than the rest of the world combined. It is the country with the largest foundations, charitable organizations that give to causes and people in lands that some of the donors have no idea whether they actually exist. It is the land of refuge for most people where needs and hopes are met in more ways than they ever imagined. Yet Trump was against outsiders, tolerance and collaboration.

America is a democracy. It was founded and built on the notion of freedom, unfettered and unlimited, except by agreement in areas that are institutionalized. It is a country where to be yourself is real. And what is different is right… unless it is wrong.

The tension between theory and practice of democracy finds all kinds of expressions in peoples and places all over America. Trump is the “kick-arse” American. Loud, brazen, daring and with a must-win compulsion. Even when he loses he makes it look like he wins. Tony Schwartz, co-author of Donald Trump’s autobiography, said in The New Yorker magazine that if he were writing The Art of the Deal today, he would have titled the book The Sociopath. “Lying is second nature to him…More than anyone else I have ever met, Trump has the ability to convince himself that whatever he is saying at any given moment is true, or sort of true, or at least ought to be true,” said Schwartz.

It is not what the world says or thinks that will stop Trump. The strongest opponent of Donald Trump is the phenomenon that Donald Trump represents, and that he champions. Among his unhinged believers it is necessary to be daring, angry, even obscene and, why not, fascist.

There are many reasons why Trump’s election as president of USA is a major problem for America’s leadership position in the world. Here are five reasons his victory cannot make America great again.

Firstly, beyond the notion that a character of his type can emerge from a most admirable country, it would confirm that through a democratic expression of votes, such a leader could indeed be accepted. Trump, repulsive as he may be, would become the face of “real” America.

Secondly, it would legitimize the use of crude, abusive language in American campaign politics at a level never witnessed in the modern era, and perhaps ever before. Trump as presidential candidate during TV broadcast denigrated a female journalist, Megyn Kelly; mocked a handicap journalist at a campaign rally; dismissed the service of a most respected veteran of the Vietnam war, Senator John McCain; and disrespected parents who lost their son fighting a war for his country.

Thirdly, it would confirm that being a bully is normal, accepted, even admired by most Americans.

Fourthly, it will undermine the two-party system which is the basis of America’s politics. Trump has fragmented the Republican Party. His victory would help him consolidate the division and effectively he would re-mould the party as his new empire. Such a situation would render very difficult coalescence around the middle range where balance is attained; where neither far left nor far right can dominate, and where both right and left converge in elections that have been won in turns over time almost rhythmically by Democrats and Republicans..

Fifthly, Trump as president would put to rest the belief that a woman could reach the highest political office in the USA. Despite criticisms of her, Hillary Clinton has had the best preparation and experience that can be required for the presidency. Absent Clinton, the political horizon is not replete with strong possible female contenders. Not only would Trump’s triumph, if it happened, kill the enthusiasm generated by Clinton as a possible next president, it will send a message that the country is not prepared for such a change. The 1920 presidential election was the first in which women were permitted to vote in every state, more than a century after men had dominated political life of the country. It may then take about two centuries before a woman would emerge as president.

Within the Republican Party, many have dissociated themselves from Trump and would like to see the end of the phenomenon that he extols. His attackers call him “insane”, “reckless”, “unfit”, “temperamental”, “racist”. He is seen as lacking patience, curiosity, knowledge, character, and balance. The surge against him from within is the force that can destroy the Trump phenomenon.

The view that Trump and his views represent America is not false, nor is it correct. This is the crux of the matter. In fact, it is the paradox of the country’s democracy. America is like the pendulum of grandfather clock. It swings between two tendencies, right and left. But it does not hit the walls of the clock.

Bunmi Makinwa is the CEO of AUNIQUEI Communication for Leadership and former Africa head of United Nations Population Fund. [myad]

Charly Boy Says Nigeria Is Full Of Religious Mumus, Fake Pastors

Greenbarge Reporters

August 15, 2016

Controversial entertainer and TV personality, Charles Oputa, aka ‘Charly Boy,’ has described most Nigerians as religious ‘mumu’ being deceived by fake Pastors.

In his social media outing, the ‘Area Father,’ as he is fondly called, insisted that most Nigerian Pastors are fake leading hypocritical Christians who claim to be religious but constantly fall for the antics and deceit of fake pastors.

“A country full of religious mumus. A lot of us being brainwashed on how to worship God as some churches now come up with different gimmicks.

“It is not surprising to see people attend church rituals involving frantic falls as if grasped by epileptic seizures, feigning attack by the spirits.

“Yes, most of these dramatics are paid, like the Nollywood actor who claimed that the devil exited his body through his foot.

“I’m not suggesting that all men of God are tinted, but out of a hundred you may not find four that live what they preach.

“Would it surprise you if I tell you I’ve read the bible page to page over 20-times? So I know more than I make out. I know that true men of God do not misquote the Bible.” [myad]

Jailbreaks: 23 Prisons Officers Dismissed, 11 Others Suspended

Greenbarge Reporters

August 15, 2016

In the wake of a string of prison breaks that have unfolded across Nigeria, 23 Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) officers have been sacked while 11 others are facing suspension.

This was announced to the public on Monday in a press release issued by NPS Public Relations Officer Francis Enobore. The decision to dismiss the officers was made at an emergency meeting called by the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Service Board (CDFIPB) and held on August 11, 2016.

In the letters of dismissal issued to the affected staff, the CDFIPB cited “negligence of duty” as the cause for dismissal, stating that CDFIPB’s disciplinary actions are in line with the provision of Public Service Rule 030402 (O).

Among the dismissed officers are 3 senior officers and 7 junior staff from Kuje Medium Security Prison and 3 senior officers and 10 junior staff from Koton Karfe Prison. Meanwhile, Nsukka Prison Deputy Controller for Prisons (DCP) Okonkwo Lawrence and 10 of his colleagues were suspended.

Nigeria has endured three separate prison breaks throughout the summer. The first occurred in June at Kuje Prison in Abuja, in which two inmates escaped only to be recaptured less than a week later. In July, 13 prisoners escaped Koton Karfe in Kogi State. Just last week, 15 inmates escaped from Nsuka Prison, but 6 were recaptures shortly thereafter. [myad]

Nigerian Army Embarrassed Me And My Family, Aisha Alkali Complains

Greenbarge Reporters

August 15, 2016

A lady lawyer who was one of the three people declared wanted on Sunday by the Nigerian Army, Aisha Alkali has made it clear that she and members of her family were embarrassed by such declaration.

In a statement on Monday, Aisha maintained that she had never hidden herself from the authorities, adding: “I have been in front fighting for peace long before Chibok girls were kidnapped. Nigerian security knows me too well, I’m not shady. Why declaring me wanted?”

Aisha said that she had been having meetings with Chief of Army staff and his people.

“I told them the way forward, to allow me come with some commanders of Boko Haram and discuss with them, present the release of CBGs but they chose to do things their own ways only, and never gave considerations to any of my suggestions.

“I want to inform the Nigerian people of my innocence and make them realize that I am in constant relation with the security personnel and they know where to find me but wonder why I had to be declared wanted on national news even mentioning my husband’s name alongside.
“This has put my immediate and extended family under a lot of pressure and I do not deserve this from the Nigerian government.
“Though they may not appreciate all my efforts to proffer peaceful solutions to the menace of Boko Haram, my name should not be mudslinged nor my character defamed.” [myad]

Swallow Your Pride And Denounce Biafra, MEND Tells Kanu

Greenbarge Reporters

August 15, 2016

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has asked Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to swallow his pride and denounce Biafra which it said is a business venture and scam.

In a statement by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, MEND advised what it called ‘already frustrated and desperate Mr. Kanu and IPOB’ to swallow their pride and make a public denunciation of Biafra so that the gullible donors and followers, deceived by the illusion of a Biafra Republic that aims to annex the Niger Delta region as part of its territory, shall become fully aware that the so-called Biafra Republic is merely a business venture and scam “whose sole beneficiaries are Kanu, directors of IPOB and their families and cronies.”
MEND expressed surprise over the recent spate of hypocritical and provocative statements issued by the IPOB and its leader, Nnamdi Kanu which purport to dissociate IPOB/Kanu from some of the concessions that have so far been secured by MEND in the ongoing talks aimed at resolving the current Niger Delta crisis between the Federal Government and MEND.
“MEND hereby uses this opportunity to inform the entire world that, following the group’s ongoing negotiations with the Federal Government, Nnamdi Kanu has made it clear that he is willing to renounce “Biafra” in secret; in exchange for his freedom.

“MEND and the Federal Government have however, flatly rejected the IPOB/Kanu hypocrisy to remain defiant in public; while accepting to secretly renounce secession.” [myad]

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