“The sweetness of the victory comes from the fact that it came against all odds. Our team overcame several challenges to put up a sterling performance. This is a good beginning.”
These are the words of encouragement contained in a message which President Muhammadu Buhari sent to Team Nigeria in the ongoing 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro, especially the football team that trounced Japan in the early hours of Friday.
The President, who expressed optimism that the country’s team will put up an impressive showing to delight fellow countrymen, hoped that the victory of Nigeria’s Under 23 football team, the “Dream Team Six” over their Japanese opponents will serve as an inspiration to the entire contingent of the grand show Nigerians expect from the athletes.
“On behalf of the government and people of our great country, I wish to express my support to our athletes who have arrived in Rio for the 2016 Olympic Games. I am particularly delighted by the outcome of the football match early this morning in which our football team defeated their Japanese counterparts.”
President Buhari also praised the resilience, hardwork and patriotism that the athletes have put into their preparations, adding: “I am already aware that you have made personal sacrifices in your journey to the Olympic Games. The motivation comes from strong discipline and the love of the nation.
“As you embark on the search for honours for the nation, I seize this opportunity to assure our Olympians that you have my support and those of all Nigerians.
“Go! Win and return with laurels, I wish you the best.” [myad]
The six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have shared the sum of N2,076,826,375.10 through the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) of the territory. The JAAC did the sharing of the money accruing to the area council from the Federation Account for the month of June, at its meeting on Tuesday in Abuja The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, who made this known on Friday in his office, said that the meeting was sequel to the earlier meeting held by the Federation Account Allocation Committee from July 20 to 21. According to him, the sum comprises Statutory Revenue Allocation of N693,573,662.37; Value Added Tax of N1,225,698,970.67, and Exchange Rate Gains of N141,394,993.28; Share of Solid Minerals Revenue of N16,158,748.78 totalling N2,076,826,375.10. The allocation to the areas council is as follows: 1. Abuja Municipal Area Council – N483,398,486.25 2. Bwari Area Council – N346,279,184.91. 3. Gwagwalada Area Council – N322,556,405.52 4. Kuje Area Council – N313,546,166.14 5. Kwali Area Council – N316,305,794.87 6. Abaji Area Council – N294,740,337.19 The Minister said that the statutory deductions were however made in accordance with the Fund Allocation Monitoring Act for the payment of the Primary School Teachers Salaries, 15% Pension Fund, 1% Training Fund as well as 7.5% Employer Pension Contribution. He said that after all the statutory deductions, Abaji Council received net allocation of N134,509,460.25; AMAC N172,972,985.46; Bwari N137,625,620.69; while Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali received N163,545,302.29′ N137,864,095.91 and N141,670,287.82 respectively, totalling N888,187,752.42. The FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye, chaired the JAAC meeting on behalf of the Minister.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Bello has paid an unscheduled visit to portions of road being rehabilitated and re-surfaced around the National Assembly Complex and the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation where he directed the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to ensure that bad roads in other districts of the city are urgently fixed, especially during this raining season. The Minister commended the FCDA and Arab Contractors for the prompt rehabilitation of the access road linking the office of the Secretary to the Government Federation to the National Assembly Complex. The portion of the road is usually in a sorry state whenever it rains. Muhammad Bello lauded the drainage system introduced on the road to redirect storm water into nearby stream to prevent flooding of the main access road. “I’m highly impressed with the intervention being done by the Engineers from FCDA. I’m very delighted that Arab Contractors, one of the very reputable contractors we have in Abuja, when this issue was brought to their attention, they said they were going to see what they could do and already, what we are seeing here is really what we should do; repair the roads and also plant trees on the road shoulders so that it will make the place look very green. “Time permitting, we will continue with this kind of interventions, so that all the roads would be maintained in its highest standard Abuja is known for.” [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has made it clear that he is determined to bequeath a new orientation of leadership that is service-driven and committed to the realization of its potentials to Nigeria.
In his address at the graduation ceremony of Course 24 participants of the National Defence College in Abuja, the nation’s capital on Friday, President Buhari said however that he believed that such task would not be achieved easily.
“Let me assure you all that this Administration is committed to bequeathing to this nation, a new orientation in leadership that will be service-driven and committed to the realization of its promises to the electorates. We are however not under any illusions that this task is an easy one. But we have put our trust in God knowing that with hard work and sound vision, we will triumph.”
He told the soldiers about the core areas of the national life that require immediate intervention which he outlined when he took over the mantle of leadership on 29 May 2015, stressing the importance of seeking, first and foremost the need to secure the country, improve the economy and fight corruption.
“As it is, this is our unfinished business from the past and dates back to the creation of our republic, yet to this day, corruption and poverty remain our main national problems.
“As part of efforts to address the problem of corruption, we have set in motion legal processes to recover whatever we can and bring to justice those who betrayed their trust. Thus far, we have been able to recover billions of naira from indicted companies and individuals. In addition, through the implementation and enforcement of the Treasury Single Account, we have been able to save more for our nation.
“Furthermore, in our fight to end poverty in Nigeria, we have set up social interventions and reliefs for the poor, and already, data is being collated by the Economic Planning Office of the Vice President in conjunction with the World Bank. In addition, through our 2016 budget, we intend to stimulate the economy, making it more competitive by focusing on infrastructural development; delivering inclusive growth; and prioritizing the welfare of Nigerians. We believe that this budget, while helping industry, commerce and investment to pick up, will as a matter of urgency, address the immediate problems of youth unemployment and the terrible living conditions of the very poor and vulnerable Nigerians.”
President Buhari believed that for Nigeria to tap its vast opportunities, it needs a philosophy of transparency and accountability in governance.
He added that other core areas that the country needs to improve on are the rule of law and moral standards in government and in society in order to provide a good foundation for good governance so that the gains are not dissipated by corruption.
Good governance, the President said, must be based on a sound moral foundation, a philosophy of transparency, accountability and an ethic of effective implementation.
“Already, our unrelenting fight against criminality and corruption in governance is a clear testament that we intend to address these problems.”
The President reminded the graduands that their graduation is the beginning of a very challenging journey and that they live in an era where the pace of transition in research and socio-political environment is so fast, that even as he spoke speak, new ideas and concepts are being introduced, established ideas are being re-defined and research is opening new fields of learning.
“Your challenge would be to harness the latest defence and security research as well as extant government policies for the benefit of your Services, Organizations, and indeed your nations. For the Nigerian participants, I expect that you would all have made the most of your time on this course, and be ready to join the ongoing process to change Nigeria for the better.”
Buhari said that the National Defence College symbolizes the height of military professionalism and excellence in the nation, adding that it is a place where potential strategic leaders are trained in the procedure and processes of strategic leadership as well as serving as a good platform to produce leaders that will drive the change direction, which must be followed if we will keep-up with the 21st century.
“We know that the National Defence College is a truly unique institution, one which we believe, has empowered you with the highest levels of skills in management practices of present day administration and governance for development of our institutions. We are also very pleased to learn that the blueprints of training at this College have kept pace with our current security environment. In this vein, you will be pleased to note that in the last one year, through the hard work, dedication and sacrifices made by members of our armed forces and security services, we have been able to degrade significantly, the capacity of Boko Haram insurgents to wreck havoc on our society.”
On the matter of Herdsmen/Farmers clashes, President Buhari said that his government will not tolerate or condone acts of banditry and criminality, under any guise, adding that security agencies have been mandated to deal with such acts decisively.
“Let me state that this Administration has been working assiduously in conjunction with our local and international partners, to rebuild damaged communities in North East part of our country. Similarly, we are committed to tackling the issues of underdevelopment and neglect in the Niger Delta area. This is a priority we have set before us and we intend to make appreciable gains in correcting the ills of the past in the Niger Delta by assuaging inherent grievances.
“As strategic leaders, you must remember that our Armed Forces have been the torch bearers of many of our non-military innovations. I am therefore, very happy to hear that the Graduating Course has undertaken a higher defence management and strategic research on the topic “Youth Bulge in Nigeria, Implication for National Security.” As we seek to solve the myriad of social and political problems we will look closely at your recommendations.” [myad]
For the first time in over a decade, Nigerian students have collectively made five credits and above (including English and Mathematics) in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) reached over 50 percent.
The feat was achieved by 878,040 (52.97 per cent of 1,544,234) candidates that wrote the May/June 2016 WASSCE for school candidates.
Head of National Office (HNO), West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Mr. Olutise Adenipekun, who announced the release of the results on Friday, said that the percentage that achieved the same benchmark in 2014 was 31.28 per cent, 38.68 in 2015.
He attributed the improved performance to likely greater commitment from the candidates, their teachers, and the government, saying the council did not lower its’ standard for the examination.
“There were slight improvement in 2014 and 2015. We want to believe it must have been a combination of many factors. WAEC will not compromise on its standard and I want to believe that candidates also put in their best. It will not be to their credit alone but to their teachers and the state government,” he said.
He wished that such improved performance would be sustained, adding: “this trend of improvement should be sustained. We are looking forward to 2017 for improved performance.” Giving a breakdown of the results, Adenipekun said 158,718 candidates (9.74 per cent) have some of their results withheld because of errors at the registration stage; while 137,295 candidates have their results withheld for examination malpractice.
The HNO said results withheld for errors would be released once corrected by the council, while those withheld for malpractice would only be released if the candidate are cleared by the National Examinations Committee (NEC).
“The cases are being investigated and reports of the investigations will be presented to the appropriate committee of the council in due course for consideration. The committee’s decisions will be communicated to the affected candidates through their schools.”
The results will be accessible to the candidates from Saturday.
However, Adenipekun said that those who owe would be unable to access their results online. Some of those in this category may be public school pupils sponsored by state government.
“The website is programmed such that if a candidate is owing, he may not be able to access his results. But our doors are open to listen to candidates, whether sponsored by states or not, so they are not at disadvantage.” [myad]
On July 30, a total of 271 candidates sat for the American University of Nigeria (AUN) annual scholarships examination – a huge jump from last year’s numbers. Sixty seven merit-based tuition scholarships will be awarded to new students from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The North Eastern examination centre in Yola registered the highest number of candidates for the examination with 98 candidates, followed by the North Central region at Abuja with 67, and North Western centre with 45. The South Southern and South western centres in Warri and Ibadan respectively had 18 candidates each, while the South eastern centre had 28 candidates.
The AUN scholarships examinations are highly competitive and only the best can qualify for the available spaces. These lucky Nigerians will join their counterparts from South Africa, Rwanda, Cameroon and other African countries on scholarship from their respective governments or private educational foundations in their countries to study in Africa’s Development University. There are many other students enjoying scholarships from their state governments in the university which prides itself as the School for the Best and Brightest.
What has added more excitement to this year’s examinations is the introduction of law studies by AUN with effect from August this year. The first batch of law students are expected to matriculate in the Fall semester with enrollees in older programs.
These programs are Bachelor of Science in Telecoms and Wireless Technologies, Information Systems, Software Engineering and Computer Science under the School of Information Technologies and Computing; and Accounting, Business Administration, Management/Entrepreneurship, Finance, Marketing and a minor in Social Entrepreneurship, under the School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
The School of Arts and Sciences offers Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Multimedia Design, Petroleum Chemistry, English Literature and Language, International and Comparative Politics, Natural and Environmental Sciences and Economics, with minors in Advertising, Journalism, Writing, Mathematics, Multimedia Design, Television/Film and Statistics.
Yusuf Williams, a student of Lutheran Junior Seminary, Mbamba, near Yola, was seated inside the auditorium of the Robert Pastor e-Learning and Resource Center, AUN’s award winning digital resource hub, staring into space. He came to write the AUN Scholarship Examinations for the 2016/17 academic session.
“I am here because I want to come to AUN,” he said.
“This is a world-class university equipped with the best facilities and staff from all over the world and I will be very glad to get the scholarship.”
Yusuf is not alone in his aspiration. There were over 97 other students writing the examination on the campus, which was the North-east region’s center for the exams, held simultaneously at five other centers across the federation. Hundreds more wrote in centers in Kaduna (North-West), Abuja (North-Central), Warri (South-South), Enugu (South-East) and Ibadan (South-West).
“AUN has a good environment for learning,” Mariam Muhammadu Mala, a candidate, said.
“I have heard a lot about AUN and I think it is wonderful. They have good teachers, great students, and wonderful facilities. I love to come here and study Biomedicine and become a medical doctor. I will feel great if awarded a scholarship.”
The examination, which consisted of two papers (English and Mathematics), kicked off at 11 am at all the six regional centers and the admission candidates came out smiling. “All of them believe they are the best,” Usman Isa, Assistant Director of Admissions, said. “I think that’s a good thing.
“I like this place,” Al-Amin Modibbo, one of the candidates and former AUN Academy student, said. “AUN is conducive for learning. I want to come here, because it is home. I am positive about the examinations. It will be a thing of pride to receive the scholarship.”
Some parents were even around to cheer their wards to success. Danjuma Adamu Muhammed, a former Director of Culture in Adamawa State, brought his daughter, from Mubi to write the examination. “The facilities inside here are marvelous,” he said. “I have traveled worldwide and seen a lot of schools, but this is one of the most standard schools I have seen. I want my daughter to come here.”
Results of the examination are expected to be released in 2 weeks or by the 15th of August. Candidates are advised to check the university’s website: www.aun.edu.ng. [myad]
Trouble is looming ahead for Justice A.F.A Ademola of the Federal High Court as a group, known as the Committee of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives Members –elect, has fired a petition to the National Judicial Council (NJC), complaining of judicial perfidy, manifest corruption, judicial impertinence, miscarriage of justice against him.
In the petition, the group accused the judge of bias and that the judgment he read in open court was at variance with written copy. The group complained that a verdict not declared in open court was smuggled into the Certified True Copy (CTC) in the suit between Senator Annie Clement Okonkwo and 43 others vs INEC and 22 others.
Titled: ‘Justice A.F.A Ademola, a case of judicial perfidy, manifest corruption ,judicial impertinence, miscarriage of justice, via judgment read in open court at variance with written judgment: Re: Suit No.FHC/ABJ/CS/177/2015: Senator Annie Clement Okonkwo & 43 others Vs INEC and 22 others,’ the petitioners began by saying: “We write as the House of Representatives Members elect of Peoples Democratic Party Anambra State whose names were substituted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC after same had been published in accordance with the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.”They said they are all co-plainitiff in the named suit.
The petition, which was addressed to the Chairman of NJC who doubles as the Chief Justice of Nigeria, has been delivered and appropriately acknowledged by the office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria. The office received it on July 20.
The petitioner expressed anger and displeasure at the way and manner Hon. Justice A.F.A Ademola conducted himself through the pendency of the suit in question “and the resultant decision he delivered on Friday 8th July 2016,more so judgment read in open Court is at variance with written judgment, certified true copy of which was released on Wednesday 113th July,2016.”
The case, the petitioner said, commence before late Justice E.S Chukwu by originating summons filed on 27th day of February 2015 against INEC.
“On 20/3/2015 upon application by Chief Arthur Obi Okafor (SAN), Counsel to 2nd -4th Defendants (Dr. Andy Uba, Hon Uche Ekwunife and Princess Stella Oduah) urging Hon Justice Chukwu to disqualify himself on the matter , the case was transferred to Hon Justice A.F.A Ademola on the order of the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria. Hearing Notes were issued and served on Counsels by Order of Court. The 2nd-22nd Defendants were joined by Order of Court.”
They said that on Monday 23rd March 2015, Justice Ademola took submissions of their lead counsel, Chief Assam Assam (SAN) and Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) who was counsel for 1st Defendant on the issues to be formulated for determination by the court.
“The counsel to the petitioners and counsels for the Defendants formulated and adopted the sole issue for determination as follow: Whether INEC is competent to remove ,delete, replace or substitute the names of nominated candidate for election after publication of same and after the expiration of time limited for substitution of candidates when that nomination and publication were compelled by a judgment of Court which was subsequently nullified by the Court of Appeal, Abuja.”
“The counsels made oral submissions and adopted briefs for judgment which was reserved for 25th March, 2015.
“But rather than deliver judgment, they said Justice Ademola adjourned the matter sine die. The judge ruled that the issue at stake is list of PDP Candidates for Anambra State for the General Elections 2015, the subject matter of appeals in the Supreme Court in SC/37/2015 and SC/29/2013.
“Events began to unfold with perplexing twists, the petitioners argued. They said during the pendency of judgment in the above mentioned cases, justice Ademola took up other pre-election matter from Anambra bordering on nomination of candidate for PDP in Anambra state. They are suit No.FHC/ABJ/CS/254/2015:Hon.Lynda Chuba Ikpeazu Vs PDP& 3 Ors and Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1091/2014: Senator Margery Okadigbo Vs PDP & 3 Ors. Senator Stella Oduah is the 4t Defendant that suit.
“It is noteworthy that both Senator Stella Oduah and Senator Margery Okadigbo are both 4th and 12th Defendants in our suit, FHC/ABJ/CS/177/2015.”
The petitioners also drew the attention of the NJC to what they described as unprecedented speed with which the suit Hons. Lynda Chuba Ikpeazu vs PDP &3 Ors was handled.”It was commenced on the 18/3/2015,only 7(seven ) days after filing.Again note suit was commenced long after our suit dealing with similar issues.
“It is most shocking that on the same 25/3/2015 that Hon Justice AFA Ademola adjourned our matter sine die, that he allowed oral arguments on the same issues of PDP candidates in FHC/ABJ/CS/254/2015, written addresses adopted and judgment was delivered .A clever device to enable Hon.Ikpeazu stand in waiting the electoral victory of PDP in the elections of 2015.
“On 25/6/2015, Hon Justice Ademola delivered judgment in Suit No FHC/ABJ/CS/254/205 and made both declaratory reliefs and ancillary orders in favour of the plaintiff, Lynda Ikpeazu without waiting for the outcome of SC.37/2015 pending at the Supreme Court.”
They also raised, in the petition, the issue of conflict of interest against Dr. Oyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) who is a member of INEC legal team whom they said also appeared for his sibling, Hon. Lynda Ikpeazu in the suit: “FHC/ABJ/CS/254/2015 thereby compromising INEC.”
They proceeded to show the alleged bias and the fact that Justice Ademola’s written judgment in their suit is at variance with his pronouncement in open court. They attached relevant evidence to drive home their point.
The affidavit of facts in support of the petition was deposed to by Uche Ifeoma, of Oalla Village in Ufuma Ward, Orumba North Local Government of Anambra State. She, among other issues, noted that NJC should probe the conflicting actions of Justice Ademola in particular, with reference e to the case of Lynda Ikpeazu.
“In view of the afore-stated facts, we humbly request the Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman of National Judicial Council to take appropriate disciplinary action against Hon. Justice Ademola in the interest of justice,” the petitioners said.
Those who signed the petition include: Offia Anthony Chukwud, Julius Oforma, Nwene Ejike Kenneth, Uche Ifeoma Obi, Hon Charles Odedo and Hon Emma Nweke. Two others have their names appended to the petition also. [myad]
Parents whose children chose Aflon Digital Institute on the list of the joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to pursue an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in digital multimedia technology are angry with the Institute as they could not find it on the list of institution for eventual admission.
Many of the parents whose children and wards chose the Institute were disappointed when they got to the school’s premises only to be told that there is no such course even that the school is not a tertiary institute that should have been on the JAMB list.
Aflon Digital Institute, located along the road leading to the Nigeria Customs Service barracks in Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, according to information reaching us, offers only nursery, primary and secondary educational facilities. It was discovered from the website of the Institute that students from Senior Secondary Certificate (SSC) levels, each pay a total of over N600,000 per annum.
Information on the website is completely silent on the issue of OND or any form of higher educational level other than the fact that it has vocational section without stating what certificate it offers after student might have attended such vocational education.
A parent who traveled with his son from Ibadan, and who gave his name simply as Adebayo, expressed disappointment that the school feigned ignorant of the damage it is doing to students who have the thirst for multimedia technology education and gladly chose the school.
“Such students, like my own, come to the school only to find out that it is just a secondary education institute. One wonders how it managed to get into the JAMB brochure thereby confusing parents and their ambitious children.”
Another parent, who was advised by the principal of the school to seek admission in other higher institution, expressed surprise that an Institute that prides itself as tertiary one would feel comfortable turning away students that had gone for admission, based on their conviction that the school is real, since it is there on JAMB list.
Many other parents expressed similar sentiment over the Institute’s posture regarding what it is not and called on the federal ministry of education to investigate its activities. Most of such parents travel from far distances only to go back disappointed.
However, the Proprietor and Executive Director of Aflon Schools, Dr. Akin Fapohunda, in a chat with our correspondent through short-message-service (sms), said that the OND programme on Digital Multimedia Technology has since been discontinued because it was not viable.
“The programme was discontinued because we discovered that only those who fail want to do it. Every good student wants university at all costs. So to us, it is a waste of time.”
When his attention was drawn to the fact that it is still on the JAMB list, as a result of which many students chose it for their higher educational pursuit, Dr. Fapohunda responded by saying that he wrote to the JAMB and the NBTE (National Board for Technical Education) to de-list the Institute from their list, but had not done so.
“I wrote to JAMB and NBTE but the 2 bodies are delinquent. Don’t blame me.” [myad]
Embattled James Faleke of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi state has vowed to challenge the Court of Appeal verdict which threw out his appeal and affirmed the election of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State. This was contained in a statement by his Director of Media, Duro Meseko, shortly after the judgment in Abuja on Thursday. Faleke was the running mate to late Abubakar Audu in the November 21, 2015 Kogi State governorship election. He said that he disagreed with the judgment and that there was the need for him to express his constitutional right by challenging the judgment in the Supreme Court. The statement said: “We strongly condemn the judgement and believe that the Supreme Court, that is the custodian of Nigeria Constitution and the court of the people, will do justice to our case.” Faleke said that the judgment was politically motivated and would not stand the test of time, saying that it was curious for the Court of Appeal to hold that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) manual for elections had a coordinate locus as the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Citing Section 187 of the constitution, Faleke said that it was wrong for the appellate court to rule that he could not be declared winner because he did not participate in the primary election of the APC. He appealed to his supporters to be calm and go about their normal businesses, adding: “Victory shall be revealed at the Supreme Court.” [myad]
Nigeria’s men’s football team made an extraordinary start to their Rio 2016 Olympic campaign, beating Japan 5-4 in Manaus on Thursday just hours after landing in Brazil following a travel mix-up.
The team was stranded in Atlanta for days amid a bizarre saga that saw flights canceled because of missed payments and because a plane was too small, before eventually taking off on the morning of the game.
The Nigerian squad eventually landed in Manaus at 2:19 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, with the game against Japan beginning at 9 p.m.
However, despite what would seem to be the worst kind of preparation, Nigeria produced an inspired display to sink Japan. The contest was evenly matched in the opening stages, with honors remaining even following a frantic opening burst that produced four goals in 10 minutes.
Sadiq Umar put Nigeria ahead just 5 minutes in before Shinzo Koroki equalized moments later from the penalty spot. Oghenakaro Etebo put the African side back in front, only for Takumi Minamino to again make things all square.
Etebo put Nigeria back in front after 41 minutes the tone was set and completed his hat trick after 50 minutes, calmly slotting home his fourth to make it 5-2 on 65 minutes.
There was still time for some late drama, as Nigeria showed fatigue as the match wore on. Takuma Asano pulled one back with 20 minutes to go, and Musashi Suzuki narrowed the gap to one deep into injury time.
However, Nigeria’s night of glory was completed seconds later when the referee blew for full-time, finishing off a remarkable, and exhausting day for a team whose plight captured international attention and sympathy. [myad]
Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State has a cause to jubilate as his state gets set to reap a total of 6,975 metric tons harvest of rice in the 2016 cropping season. Governor Lalong who spoke in Ajikamai, Shendam Local Government Area of the state at the launching of the Fadama III rice production by Fadama clusters said: “From expert estimation, 6,975 metric tonnes of rice will be harvested during 2016 season. This is a giant stride towards attaining food sufficiency not only in Plateau but the country in general.” The governor said that the State Ministry of Agriculture in conjunction with Fadama III project had disbursed rice seeds to 1,395 beneficiaries in the state. According to the governor, this gesture will translate to the cultivation of 1,395 hectares put together. He said that the state government would continue to build stronger bridges between agricultural sector and the rest of the economy, adding that the Fadama project had stimulated the government to establish processing plants for rice and tomato through public private partnership arrangement. According to him, the state is endowed with 100,000 hectares of Fadama farm lands, cleared and suitable for rice production. He added that the state also has 200,000 hectares of all-season farm land suitable for tomato production. Governor Lalong said that his administration was desirous to reduce poverty among the people of Plateau State and attain food sufficiency. He said the state government had promptly paid arrears of counterpart fund for the Fadama III project for 2014 and 2015. “This is what has given the state the legitimacy to be considered for the Fadama III Additional Financing Project which allows greater participation by farmers in the project,” he said. The governor said that although the Fadama III Project said they would support only tomato farming in the additional financing support, he requested for rice because of the comparative advantage. The National Coordinator of Fadama III Project, Adetayo Adewumi, assured the government of continuous support to the State Fadama Coordination Office for the benefit of the farmers. Adewumi said the SFCO had received awards for its excellent work in Plateau State and had been rated the best SFCO in Northern Nigeria by the House Committee on Agriculture in 2014. He said that Plateau State is the first to establish a Fadama Farmers Micro-finance Bank through savings realised by farmers under the Farmers Users Equity Funds. “Just recently, the state was rated ‘second to none’ during the 4th World Bank-FGN Supervision Mission in January 2016 by Task Team leader, Dr. Adetunji Oredipe. “This was an additional reason for the consideration by both the national office and the World Bank to allow an additional crop (rice) to be supported under Fadama III additional finance support on the Plateau.” Similarly, Gideon Dandam, the Plateau State Fadama III Coordinator, also commended the state government for the support that the the project had so far enjoyed. Dandam pledged the SFCO’s loyalty to government’s quest for poverty reduction and food security. [myad]
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