National President of the Nigeria Cassava Growers Association (NCGA), Segun Adewumi, has said that massive cassava production can trigger industrial revolution that will create employment for millions of Nigerians.
Adewumi who spoke at the policy intervention forum on industrial cassava in Lagos, said that the nation is in desperate need to get out of this problem, as orchestrated by world experts at different fora that the only solution is to diversify the nation’s economy into agriculture.
He said that the potential of cassava to generate wealth for the Nigeria Nation cannot be overemphasized, adding that cassava can be grown on commercial basis in most states of the country unlike other food crops.
He said that apart from the over twenty local food types that are made from cassava, it is also raw material to many utility items with limitless domestic and export market potentials.
“Let me state clearly here that most of the cassava varieties in the country are not meant for industrial use. The world has moved forward and left us behind in the method of cultivation and the result in terms of yield and their starch content.
“Beyond the experiment of micronutrients demonstrated to us at the Word Starch Conference meeting held in Thailand recently, which made cassava yield 100 metric tonnes per hectare, a cassava expert in Thailand is convinced that he can take the yield of cassava to 200 metric tonnes per hectare with 40 per cent starch content.”
He said that even if only 50 per cent of the above is achieved on the field, cassava will become the best crop in the world for industrial starch and ethanol.
“That presupposes the yield from 100 hectares cassava farm in Malaysia or Thailand will surpass that of 500 hectares in Nigeria. How then can our products compete in the international market?”
Adewumi, however, said that there has to be two cassava programmes, one for industrial uses and the second for food security.
He added that research should be encouraged for the preservation and elongation of the shelf life of the various local food items derived from cassava so that they will be durable for both local and international market.
“It is my opinion that if gari, Lafun, fufu were discovered in the Western world, cassava would have been a major food in the world competing with Rice and Bread. It is an instant food that can be eaten as it is. The compelling aroma of gari on its own creates appetite even when the eater is full. We should advertise and promote it to the rest of the world.”
He called for a cassava industrial programme, stressing that it is the aspiration of NCGA that the above programme should be well planned to meet the challenges of competition in the quality and cost of production of the various items produced from cassava. [myad]
Former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro has asked the Department of State Security (DSS) to leave his wife, Alhaja Moroofat, whom he described as innocent, out of what he called political trial it had embarked on.
A statement by his media aide, Mr. Jonathan Eze, said that his wife, Alhaja Moroophat has always been in the country managing her businesses as against the lies that she sneaked in last week from the United States.
Obanikor, who asked media houses not to malign his wife in whatever way, described her as “a patriotic, hard-working and innocent woman, who was completely apolitical.
“We are saddened by the fact that the media was awash with false and conflicting information about the invitation of Senator Obanikoro’s wife. Ordinarily, we considered ignoring these concocted lies but for the sake of the discerning and right thinking public, hence the need to straighten matters.”
The former minister said that there were documents found in his wife’s possession and that the lies that she was arrested while trying to evacuate documents were a fabrication and can only survive in their warped and distorted minds.
“It should also be noted that the officials only came to invite her for questioning and as against the phrase that she was whisked away; her driver actually drove her in her own car to the office of the DSS.
“Third, it was shamefully reported that the DSS were involved because there were so many armed policemen guiding her. This is another fabricated lie. The Obanikoros stopped enjoying police protection from the day he left office as minister and as a woman, who is above board in all her dealings, she does not need one.
“Finally, we are using this medium to call on the officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to desist from persecuting an innocent woman, who has no dealings at all with either Sylva McNamara or MOB integrated that they are investigating.
“For emphasis, the innocent woman has a history of High Blood Pressure and heart related ailments and as such, should not be dragged into their biased and politicised investigations. We have absolute confidence in the judiciary and we hope to get justice in the course with the proviso that they obey the rule of law and avoid arbitrariness that we are seeing on daily basis.” [myad]
Former United States House Speaker, Newt Gingrich, is demanding that a test be run on all Muslims to determine if they believe in Sharia law and that those found to believe in the law should be deported.
Sharia is a legal code based on the Quran and other Islamic scriptures.
Gingrich was reacting to Friday’s attack in the French city of Nice, which killed at least 84 people.
Also his comment was to the opinion held by likely Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, who has said Muslims should be stopped from entering the U.S.
He said: “Western civilization is in a war. We should frankly test every person here who is of a Muslim background and if they believe in Sharia they should be deported,” the BBC quoted Gingrich as saying.
He added: “Sharia is incompatible with western civilization. Modern Muslims, who have given up Sharia, glad to have them as citizens. Perfectly happy to have them next door.” [myad]
Many residents of communities in Ikorodu in Lagos State have fled their homes for fear of being attacked by militants who have taken over the area. The fleeing residents said on Friday in Lagos that life has become unbearable for them following the activities of the group. According to them, the militants have laid siege on the community for consecutive two weeks, robbing, vandalizing, kidnapping, raping and maiming their victims. They also steal domestic animals and raw food stuffs. They said that the gangs were armed with dangerous weapons in carrying out the incessant nefarious activities on the unsuspecting militants. The fleeing residents of Igboolowu community said that they had sent an SOS to the Lagos State Police Command over the development. Mike Faleke, one the fleeing residents told NAN that he had left the area with his family due to the criminals’ increased activities. “The hoodlums are pipeline vandals who have resorted to going to people’s homes to dispossess them of whatever they could find, including foodstuffs, goats, chicken, pigs and other domestic animals. They have now moved to Isawo community where they take over their house. “These criminals now ask the occupants to identify the wealthy people within the community after which they proceed to attack them. “There is a robbery attack by the militants in our neighbourhood during which a resident escaped to inform the police about the activity of the gang. “But to the dismay of the residents, the police informed him that their schedules do not extend to the inroad but only on the main road,’’ he said. A school teacher, who simply gave his name as Ayo, claimed that with the nonchalant attitude of the police toward their plight, the militant were now on the loose, ravaging the community. He also alleged that the police had turned back on them, making them to ask “if there is any government in the state? The teacher said that the militants had restricted the movement of those who could not escape from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on working days, adding that at weekend they seized their operations. Ayo added that the weapons the hoodlums were carrying were highly sophisticated and could not be compared with that of the police. Another eyewitness, Mr Musibau Alao, said that the hoodlums were also raiding filling stations. He added that the police kept saying that they were on top of the situation which was not true as the criminals had continued to lay siege on the communities. When contacted, the police spokesperson, SP Dolapo Badmos, said that enough personnel, including the military had been deployed to the areas. She said that the security agencies were expected to put the situation under control. Badmos, however, advised the public not to “panic unnecessarily or move out of their homes. “If the public have information about the gunmen, they should report to the police on time.” [myad]
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo leaves Nigeria for Kigali, Rwanda on Saturday to attend the African Union Summit, scheduled to hold between July 17 and 18. He will be representing President Muhammadu Buhari.
A statement by the senior special assistant to Osinbajo, Mr. Laolu Akande said that the 27th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) would be preceded by a retreat of African Heads of State and Governments on July 16 ahead of the formal summit opening on Sunday.
“The Session has been preceded by the 32nd Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) and the 28th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the Union at the ministerial level ending today.
“The AU summit theme is African Year of Human Rights with a particular focus on the Rights of Women.”
The statement said that 2016 would be celebrated by the Union as the year of Human Rights with the aim of raising awareness on human and peoples’ rights, particularly women’s rights, on the continent and taking stock of progress or efforts made, including major challenges and/or obstacles encountered.
It said that Vice President Osinbajo, would be accompanied to the Summit by the Finance Minister Mrs. Kemi Adeosun and Ambassador Babagana Kingibe among other functionaries.
He and his entourage, who leave for Rwanda today, are expected back in Nigeria on Monday. [myad]
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has remanded one Oludgenga Obadina in Kuje prison, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), for allegedly receiving the sum of over N2.4 billion from the former National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki without any contract awarded.
Obadina, who is being charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is joined in the suit with Almond Projects Limited, a company owned by the defendant.
He is facing an eight-count charge, bordering on criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering to the tune of N2.4billion.
According to the prosecution, Odadina allegedly collected N2. 417 billion paid into his company’s account in tranches, between 2013 and 2015. The money was paid from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser, under retired Dasuki without a contract award.
The offence, according to the prosecution, was contrary to Section 15(2), (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 as amended, and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.
The prosecution also alleged that Obadina in April 2014 in Abuja, directly took possession of N648 million paid into the account of Almond Projects Ltd.
Obadina also in February 2015, directly took possession of N510 million paid into the account of Almond Projects, from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him.
Upon his plea, EFCC counsel, Aso Larry Peters, asked for a date for trial and urged the court to remand the accused in prison custody.
The accused counsel, Chris Uche, prayed the court to grant the defendant bail, as he had a pending application to that effect, which had been served on the prosecution.
Presiding judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, ordered that the accused be remanded in Kuje Prison.
He adjourned the case till July 18, for ruling on bail application. (NAN). [myad]
“Have you been to Bourdillon? Or rather I should ask when are you going to Bourdillon?”
“What’s happening?”
“I hear people are paying solidarity visits to the Tinubus to express their dismay over Senator Dino Melaye’s assault on Senator Remi Tinubu, wife of the APC National Leader.”
“Assault?”
“That is precisely what it is. Assault. Sexual harassment. Abuse. Threat of rape. Definite expression of intent to commit adultery and impregnate another man’s wife.”
“I read that story. I still find it difficult to believe that a distinguished Senator would descend to such level. If that is the quality of reasoning among Nigerian parliamentarians, then the country is in more serious trouble than anyone could ever imagine.”
“Dino Melaye has not denied the statements he allegedly made. And the Tinubu camp is on an offensive against him. I read a response saying if he carries out his threat, things will happen.”
“Things should not only happen, I think every member of the National Assembly should undergo a psychiatrist test and a drug test.”
“Ha. You can’t conscript the entire National Assembly to undertake tests that are not required by law. And you can’t jump from something one Senator did to cast innuendo on other lawmakers.”
“You call it innuendo? You try. From the look of things, male members of this National Assembly are convinced that women are sex objects. Is this not the same National Assembly where male chauvinists resisted a Gender Equality Bill? Is it not in this same parliament that supposedly distinguished men stood up to defend marriage to the girl-child? And now you have a Senator threatening to beat up a female colleague, rape, impregnate her and that nothing will happen.”
“The man practically admitted his love of violence and lack of respect for a colleague. That is too much of an insult to the Madam and her husband.”
“I read on Sahara Reporters that he eventually changed his mind, though”
“How?”
“Sahara Reporters says he later told Mrs Tinubu, “F…. you.”
“F…. another man’s wife?”
“Yes. But he said worse. He reportedly said he would not even demean himself by impregnating a Bonga fish, and that he would prefer a robust woman like Senator Stella Oduah.”
“What? The scallywag wants to hold so-so-so-me-thing!”
“He has not denied saying so.”
“But are you sure there isn’t a Nollywood wing in that Senate and some of the members are rehearsing a block-buster home video?”
“Which home video? The altercation took place at a closed-door meeting of the Senate. Mrs Tinubu’s offence was that he criticized Senator Melaye’s contribution to a discussion, and the fellow became enraged. He had to be physically restrained from actually beating up the woman, and proceeding there and then to rape and impregnate her with immediate effect”
“Chei. I wish I were in Asiwaju Tinubu’s shoes…”
“What will you do? You will invite Melaye to a physical combat? Have you seen the guy’s biceps and how heavily built he is? This is not a matter you settle with muscles.”
“Meaning?”
“There are sub-texts. Dino is probably fighting proxy war. His target may not be the woman but her husband. Besides, the guy seems to have quite a reputation for beating up women. Ask his first wife. Ask his second wife.”
“Mrs Tinubu should sue him”
“He will claim privilege. Every communication on the floor of the Senate is privileged.”
“What privilege? That privilege should not cover anyone threatening violence, rape, assault and adultery. What if he was not restrained, he would have slapped Mrs. Tinubu or what? I also find the silence of the Senate leadership in this matter terribly offensive. By now, Senator Melaye should be standing before a Disciplinary Committee.”
“But again, is this whole story possible?”
“What will the Tinubus gain from lying against Melaye?”
“You know, for some reason, I sympathize with that fellow, you know. What he has done, previously and right now, is very much like riding the Tiger. “
“Certain kinds of persons should not be in the National assembly to start with. Is it not from this same National Assembly that the US Embassy named and shamed some lawmakers who went to the US on a sponsored trip to solicit for sex, with one of them almost raping a hotel attendant? This thing called democracy must be protected from women abusers, rapists and adulterers.”
“If this was in the US or the UK, by now, there will be protesters on the streets calling for Melaye’s head and seat. His constituents would have initiated the process of his recall.”
“Have you also not noticed that other female members of the National assembly have not spoken up. They are dangerously silent.”
“That is stupid. Do they want to be beaten up? Raped? And impregnated by violent colleagues? Are they happy that a male colleague is threatening to rape and impregnate?”.
“To call another man’s wife, Bonga fish. And openly say you prefer that other female Senator as a sex object. That Melaye needs help, I must say. Where is he from?”
“Right now, I wonder what Dino Melaye would have called Theresa May, the new Prime Minister of Britain”
“Do not go there. He wouldn’t dare. The kind of nonsense behaviour that is allowed in the name of lawmaking and leadership in this country is impossible in civilized places. Can you ever imagine any parliamentarian in the UK openly abusing a female colleague and threatening to rape and impregnate her?”
“All these our leaders, they love titles but not the responsibility that comes with high office. Just look at how the British have managed a major transition in the life of their nation, it was all done so decently.”
“Impressive. Classically British. The country is more important than every one.”
“David Cameron leads the country out of the European Union against his personal wish and to economic disaster. He takes responsibility and he steps aside.”
“In Nigeria, he would have stayed on. After all, there was no election. Nobody resigns here. Public office for the average Nigerian is about stomach infrastructure.”
“But in the UK, it is about service. Did you read Cameron’s valedictory speech? Solid. No malice. No regrets. The other week, he was down with rotten eggs on his face, but two days ago, he left office with his head held high. The British system works. When things go wrong, there are ways of dealing with them.”
“We shouldn’t compare apples and oranges. We can talk about lessons, but not to expect the same standards.”
“Look at Theresa May, the new PM. The very day she assumed office, she named her cabinet. She is prepared. She is ready. She is competent. That is how to hit the ground running. Here, State Governors spend a whole year struggling to appoint ordinary commissioners.”
“State Governors? What of…?”
“Meshionu… Alakoba somebody. It is not from my mouth that you will hear about physical, social psychological and existential violence in high places. But look again at what Theresa May has done. She has appointed into her cabinet, the Brexiteers, the same people who wanted Britain out of the EU. She has put together a cabinet that accommodates her rivals to show that she nurses no malice against anyone. Can you imagine Boris Johnson becoming Foreign Secretary?”
“I don’t support that.”
“Sorry, your opinion does not matter. Ko mata, ko muyo.”
“Boris Johnson is an isolationist. And he doesn’t like Africans.”
“He loves Britain, his country. That is what matters.”
“I wish the new Prime Minister well, then. History made. She has Mrs Margaret Thatcher’s record to contend with.”
“No. You miss the point. She will not be judged on the grounds of gender.”
“Don’t fool yourself about that very point. Even in the UK, gender is an issue. Nobody talked about Cameron’s shoes or navy suits, for example. But since Theresa May arrived, there has been so much obsession with her clothes and leopard print kitten heels.”
“But she is lucky she doesn’t have a Dino Melaye around her.”
“Impossible.”
“And nobody will ever threaten to beat her up, rape her or impregnate her.”
“Why are you DinoMelaye-ing Theresa May? Can you stop? This is precisely why a Boris Johnson thinks you people should be kept out of Britain, so that in the long run you don’t pollute the decent space the British created over the centuries.”
“You know, to tell the truth, sometimes I wonder how foreigners manage to relate with us. Can you imagine the President of Nigeria going on a foreign trip, with a Senator who was once accused of rape, or a Governor who was once a crook? The civilized oyinbo people will shake hands, shake their heads also, but privately among themselves, they would wonder if it would not have been better if they didn’t colonize Africa at all.”
“And leave us in our natural, pre-colonial states, eh?. I can’t laugh oh. May be if they didn’t, by now you will be a dreadful dibia in a forest, with 100 wives.”
“And Dino?”
“That one? He will be a deep forest hunter, beating up people’s wives, raping and impregnating them and threatening that nothing will happen to him.”
“Only in Nigeria.”
“ I guess there is a lot more that you can talk about in that manner.”
“Like Abia”
“Really messy out there.”
“A court of law with competent jurisdiction rules, INEC complies, but the politicians insist they have a different opinion, and the entire system gets sucked into a crisis.”
“Don’t go there. You get that kind of situation when everything in a country is so uncertain.”
“But if we lose the courts, what do we have left?”
“We lost the courts already, even the lawyers.”
“In Abia or Abuja?”
“You answer the question yourself”.
“And the video that the US Mission was going to show at the House of Representatives? Did that happen?
“Which video? It didn’t happen.”
“Never mind. The British have just given us an answer. A country must work for its people. That is why Theresa May says her mission is to make Britain work for every one.”
“Nigeria must also work for every one, not a privileged few.”
“Yes. Yes. Yes. We should add that line to the National Anthem.”
President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the probe of 18 serving and retired military personnel, 12 serving and retired public officials and 24 Chief Executive Officers of Companies over an alleged fraud to the tune of N185,843,052,564.30 and $685,349,692.49 on defence equipment procurement.
The President gave the Presidential Committee on the Audit of Defence Equipment Procurement in the Armed Forces charged with investigating the Defence Equipment Procurement from 2007 to 2015, a go-ahead to further investigate those involved, after the committee found a number of irregularities in the contract awards.
A statement by the chairman of the Presidential Committee, AVM Jon Ode, said that President Buhari approved further investigation into the alleged shady deals when the Third Interim Report of the Presidential Committee on the Audit of Defence Equipment was released on Thursday.
Those listed for further investigation include two former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. O.A. Ihejirika (Rtd) and Lt.-Gen. K.T.J. Minimah (Rtd); former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs II, Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed and three former Permanent Secretaries in the Ministry of Defence – Mr. Bukar Goni Aji, Mr. Haruna Sanusi and Mr. E.O Oyemomi.
Also, the CEOs to be investigated include Col. Olu Bamgbose (Rtd) of Bamverde Ltd; Mr. Amity Sade of Doiyatec Comms Ltd and DYI Global Services and Mr. Edward Churchill of Westgate Global Trust Ltd.
According to the Committee, the total amount spent for procurement and operations within the period were N185,843,052,564.30 and $685,349,692.49.
It found that the Nigerian Army Contracts awarded by the Ministry of Defence for the period under review were often awarded without ”significant input from end-user (Nigerian Army) and to vendors who lacked the necessary technical competence”.
”As an example, 3 contracts with a total value of N5,940,000,000.00 were awarded to DYI Global Services Ltd and Doiyatec Comms Nig. Ltd (owned by the same individuals) for the procurement of military hardware including 20 units of KM-38 Twin Hull Boats and 6 Units of 4X4 Ambulances fitted with radios. The committee found that the 2 companies collected N5,103,500,000.00, representing 86% of the total value of the 3 contracts worth N5,940,000,000.00, but only performed to the tune of N2,992,183,705.31,” the report said.
The committee also found that a contract worth N169,916,849.77 for the procurement of 53 Armoured Vehicle Spare Parts, with 90 days completion time, is yet to be completed 5 years after.
With respect to contracts awarded directly by the Nigerian Army, the Committee found that many of the contracts were characterized by ”lack of due process, in breach of extant procurement regulations and tainted by corrupt practices.
”In this regard, a review of the procurement carried out by Chok Ventures Ltd and Integrated Equipment Services Ltd established that between March 2011 and December 2013, the 2 companies exclusively procured various types of Toyota and Mitsubishi vehicles worth over N3,000,000,000.0 for the Nigerian Army without any competitive bidding.
”Though the committee found no credible evidence of delivery of the vehicles, the vendors were fully paid based on job completion certificate authenticated by the then Chief of Logistics. Also, analysis of the various bank accounts of the 2 companies showed transfers to individuals related to then Chief of Army Staff,” the report said. [myad]
The Nigerian House of Representatives has resolved to probe state governments over the bailout funds given by the federal government for the payment of workers’ salaries.
The House said that it would set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the terms and conditions of disbursement of the funds. The ad hoc committee will investigate utilization of the funds, level of compliance with targets and determine the necessity of further disbursement as being planned by the Federal Government.
The move to probe the bailout funds followed a motion raised under “Matters of Urgent National Importance’’ by Sunday Karimi of the Peoples Democratic Party from Kogi state, which was unanimously adopted by members through a voice vote.
Moving the motion, Karimi said that the need to investigate the disbursement and utilisation of the funds was geared toward ensuring the welfare of citizens in the affected states.
He explained that the Federal Government approved and disbursed N689.5 billion to 27 states in July, 2015, and gave N20 billion to Kogi four months ago.
The lawmaker expressed dismay that many of the beneficiary-states had failed to utilize the funds for payment of workers’ salaries and had continued to owe the workers their salaries.
He disclosed that reports had alleged that many state governments lodged the bailout funds in interest-bearing accounts and allowed their employees to continue to wallow in hunger and lack.
“States like Abia, Osun, Bayelsa, Benue, Ekiti, Kwara, Plateau, Oyo, Delta, Niger, Ogun, Nasarawa, Kogi, among others, are still owing workers’ salaries for several months.”
Contributing to the motion, House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, said that the intention of giving out the bailout funds was good, but that the application seemed to be wrongly done.
He said that in order to have transparency, the house should look into the matter and avoid same mistake in the bailout to be given soon.
Also contributing, Minority Leader, Leo Ogor, said that based on the provisions of the Constitution, the house was empowered to look into the methodology and legality of the bailout funds. (NAN). [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari rejoices with his children L-R: Miss Zahra Buhari, Yusuf Buhari and Halimat Babagana Muhammad Sherriff Buhari who have just graduated and called to the Nigerian Bar. The father-children celebration was held on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. [myad]
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National President of the Nigeria Cassava Growers Association (NCGA), Segun Adewumi, has said that massive cassava production can trigger industrial revolution that will create employment for millions of Nigerians.
