Following the recent threat by members of Boko Haram that they would soon launch attack on the Nigeria Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has placed chairmen of the six Area Councils and all the Seventeen graded traditional rulers on red alert. He asked them to stop any act that could lead to breakdown of law and order in their various domains.
The Minister who spoke at an emergency meeting with the Council Chairmen, FCT Graded Chiefs, FCT Police Commissioner, FCT Director of DSS, Ag. Secretaries, Area Council Councils Services and Agriculture & Rural Development Secretariats, in Gwarinpa I District
(Life-Camp), Abuja, said that the meeting was convened to specifically brainstorm
on security concerns to ensure that the FCT remain peaceful and
proactive.
The Minister asked the Council officials and the Traditional Rulers to also avoid anything that could lead to misunderstanding; adding that people should seek legitimate means to resolve their disputes amicably.
“We will follow the rule of law and all the appropriate regulations. But definitely, we will not allow any kind of criminality in any part of the Territory.”
The Minister frowned at security challenges caused by Chieftaincy tussles in so many locations; stressing that such actions are not acceptable and that is why we have the FCT Council of Chiefs.
Muhammad Bello warned that the Chairmen and the Traditional Rulers should be on the watch out and be extremely vigilant to stop any religious extremism, as it is also another serious security threat to any society.
“Any religious extremism must be disallowed in your respective places, because if you turn a blind eye and pretend you don’t know, then this could become a serious problem for the people later.
“Wherever you identify these issues, immediately find solution, before it even comes to our level and that is the ways you can continue to stamp your authority.
“We have to call for this meeting because in most of the States sharing boundary with the FCT, there are reports of security challenges and everybody is running towards Abuja. So, let us not
deceive ourselves, we must maintain vigilance at all times.”
He advised them to guard against crisis between the Fulani herdsmen and the farmers because that is also a very serious issue; adding, “meet regularly with all the Fulanis in your area, identify their leaders and communicate with them regularly.” [myad]

President Muhammadu Buhari has made it clear that he would stop at nothing to change the culture of waste foisted on the country, due to lack of means of preservation of agricultural products.

Receiving the Global Chief Executive Officer of Friesland Campina, The Netherlands, Mr Roelf Joosten, at State House, Abuja, Tuesday, President Buhari lamented the situation in which cattle farmers throw away milk from their animals, because there is no means of preserving and processing the product.

“We have failed to develop our assets on a permanent basis. This, we are determined to work on,” the President promised.

He urged Friesland Campina, in its collaboration with Nigeria, to educate cattle farmers that “quality matters more than quantity,” and help them organize into cooperatives for better business.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbe, who was also at the event, promised that herdsmen would soon be organized into ranches in the country, with special grasses and water, which will give better yield, and make the animals healthier. He also disclosed that special flasks, which can preserve raw milk for up to six hours, would soon be made available, enabling cattle farmers to get the product to dairies in good quality.

Mr Joosten disclosed that Friesland Campina is a cooperative owned by 19,000 farmers, and is 145 years old. It began business in Nigeria in 1973 as Friesland Campina WAMCO Nigeria.

The company wants to partner with the Federal Government to build a healthier populace through better nutrition, collaborate in the school feeding programme, and promote dairy development in the country. It has also been providing nutrition support for internally displaced persons in the North-East.

Also on the delegation of the Global CEO was the Managing Director of Friesland Campina WAMCO, Mr Rahul Colaco. [myad]

Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State has banned senior civil servants in the state from sending their children and wards to private schools, with effect from the next academic session.
As part of the move to implement the new system, the senior servants whose children are currently in such schools have been directed to withdraw them from private schools and prepare them for admission into the public schools.
In an interview, the state Commissioner for Education, Professor Andrew Nock, said that plans have been concluded by the state government to restore public schools to their past glory.
“The state government has given order to all directors to withdraw their children from private schools to our own schools with a view to improving teaching and learning in the schools.”
On the failed attempts by successive administrations to implement similar policy, Nock said: “our government is not like the previous ones. What we will do is to monitor it to en­sure that this order is carried to the letter.”
The commissioner said that as part of the efforts to revamp education in the state, 15 pub­lic secondary schools have been converted to boarding schools with effect from the next ses­sion.
He named the schools as Queen Amina College, Kaduna; Government Girls Secondary School, Kawo; Government Technical College, Malali; Barewa College, Zaria; Girls Science Secondary School, Kwoai; Government College, Kagoro; Government Girls Secondary School, Soba; Government College, Saminaka; Rimi College, Government College, Kaduna, Government Secondary School, Kachia; Government Girls’ College, Zonkwa and Government Secondary School, Giwa.
Nock recalled that some of the schools were originally boarding institutions before they were converted to Day Schools.
“Plans are underway to renovate and upgrade the hostels, library, clinics facilities and total landscaping of the schools to give them an aura of academic environment.” [myad]