The Ebonyi State Government has earmarked 40,500 hectares of land for rice cultivation this farming season.
Governor David Umahi, said that as part of his government’s move to revolutionize the agricultural sector, the state had procured 40 tractors to till the land and make it easy for farmers to plant rice.
Addressing supporters during the Democracy Day celebration and his one year in office at the Abakaliki Township Stadium, the governor said that 40,500 hectares are spread across the 13 Local Government Areas of the state.
Each of the LGAs has 2,500 hectares mapped for the rice production while IFAD has six thousand hectares and FADAMA, 2,000 hectares.
Governor Umahi said: “We have 2,500 hectares of land in each of the LGAs. And we have 6,000 of farmland in our partnership with IFAD. We also have 2,000 hectares of land in our partnership with FADAMA. These are all for rice production.”
The governor said that as part of the measures to revolutionize rice production in the state, his administration had taken delivery of the three rice parboiling machines procured by the previous administration in the state.
He added that the installation of the parboiling machines at the three state-owned modern rice mills in Ikwo, Izzi and Oso Edda had commenced.
The governor noted that the government was partnering UNIDO to install another modern rice mill that would be handed over to the Abakaliki Rice Millers when fully installed.
He assured that the N2bn Federal Government Loan for rice production was intact and would be disbursed to genuine farmers who met the conditions attached to it.
Umahi further stated that the government would give out seeds, fertilizer and chemicals worth over N400m to farmers as loan this farming season.
He said that the government had signed an agreement with Union Dicon Salt Plc for the establishment of a cassava farm and a cassava processing factory in the state.
Governor Umahi said that his administration had introduced school agriculture, and was currently working on three schools as pilot farms in each of the three senatorial zones.
The governor said that all the available land at the permanent site of the state university had been converted to tomato farmland for massive production of tomatoes for domestic and international consumption. [myad]
Two members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have announced their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the floor of the House of Representatives. They are Hon. Tony Nwoye from Anambra State and Hon. Emmanuel Udende from Benue State.
While Nwoye is representing Anambra East and West Federal Constituency of Anambra State, Udende is the representative of Sankera Federal Constituency of Benue State. The announcement of their defection threw the House of Representatives into confusion as the PDP members were calling for their heads and halting the session for some minutes. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has raised an alarm over the housing crisis that is staring Nigeria in the face with housing deficit of 17 million. He made it clear that the country requires one million houses annually to be able to weather the storm of the housing challenge.
The President who spoke through the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, at the 35th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and International Symposium of Shelter Afrique, held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja Wednesday, said that the current national housing deficit needs to be averted before the year 2020.
The President said that the Federal Government has earmarked N40 billion in the 2016 capital budget to implement a comprehensive housing programme in the country, adding: “the government intends to directly supply housing stocks in urban areas across all the geo-political zones under its Comprehensive Housing Programme.
“The Federal Government would also continue to prosecute overall housing policy stand which recognizes the government as active facilitator of private sector-driven housing sector.”
President Buhari said that the Federal Government is considering vibrant reforms in land administration, urban planning/renewal and mortgage housing finance under its new comprehensive housing programme to improve housing delivery in Nigeria.
The President said that the current realties of housing shortfall, challenges housing developers in Nigeria and Africa as a whole to re-assess their strategies and evolve fresh methodologies to meet the exigencies of these times.
He cited the successes recorded in the East and Central African Region by Shelter Afrique, a pan-African Finance Institution, through its ‘Exemplar Housing Initiative,’ saying that its potential benefits could be better harnessed by a wider housing market to achieve housing for the low income earners in other parts of Africa.
He lauded Shelter Afrique’s commitment to further popularizing current best practices for housing delivery in Africa and therefore called on the Board and Management of the continental Finance Institution to embrace the opportunity of opening new frontiers by investing in low-income houses in Nigeria.
He appealed to other development partners to invest more in the Nigerian Housing sub-sector to deepen the vibrancy of the country’s housing market.
“I expect that this meeting will come up with a consolidated strategy that would assist national governments across Africa to develop robust systems to deliver affordable housing to the low income on sustainable basis,” the President stressed.”
While welcoming guests to the AGM, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola called on the delegates to brainstorm and find lasting solution to housing challenges in Africa.
In his address, the Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer of Shelter Afrique, Mr. James Mugerwa said that the organization has invested 50 million USD in the sector and has created 30 million construction workers across the continent.
The theme of AGM & Symposium is “Housing Africa’s Low Income Urban Population.” [myad]
27 year old university student in Rome, Italy, Mr. Vincenzo Paduano, was alleged to have set his ex girlfriend, Sara Di Pietrantonio, 22, on fire and she died before dawn on Sunday.
According to Maria Monteleone who is the prosecutor, when Paduano set Sara’s car on fire as she was driving, she scampered out but he chased her and set her ablaze when he caught up with her.
The lover boy was said to have killed his erstwhile girlfriend because he could not bear the separation
He reportedly used a cigarette lighter to set Di Pietrantonio’s face on fire after dousing her with very strong alcohol which was probably mixed with petrol.
The lead police official in the investigation, Luigi Silipo, told reporters: “I can say that in 25 years in this work I have never seen something so atrocious.”
According to Italian authorities, a surveillance camera in the area captured some of the events, including at least two cars that passed by while the woman screamed in vain for help as she tried to flee.
Initially, the suspect denied having anything to do with the woman’s death but after about 8 hours of interrogation, he confessed to killing her in order to reduce the punishment that will be imposed on him by the court. He confessed probably after he was told that a surveillance camera in the area captured the event.
The attacker waited outside the home of Di Pietrantonio’s current boyfriend. Then, after the woman left the home and drove off by herself, Paduano drove off, eventually forcing her car to the side of the road.
The reporting police official, Silipo, said: “He got into her car, and after an argument, doused the car (interior) with a small bottle of alcohol, and doused Sara, too,”… “She ran out, he torched the car, caught up with her, and after about 100 metres” set her ablaze, leaving her to die “in an atrocious manner.” [myad]
No fewer than 3,000 Nigerian youths are believed to have turned up for screening for positions in the Under-17 National Team, the Golden Eaglets. The screening began on Tuesday at the NFF/FIFA Goal Project in Abuja.
Coach Manu Garba warned the talented youths that it would take more than enthusiasm on the part of the players to make the team, even as he asked them to be of good conduct during the screening exercise. “We are going to give all of you equal opportunity but you have to be disciplined and do your best when you are given the opportunity to show what you can do on the pitch.
“Please, don’t let anyone fool you and collect any money from you; you will be judged by what you can do on the pitch as well as sound proof that you are within the age bracket.” The screening exercise is part of the Golden Eaglets’ preparations towards qualification for the 2017 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations to be hosted by Madagascar. The Golden Eaglets would be away to Niger on the first weekend of August 5 to 7 with the reverse fixture in Nigeria a fortnight later. [myad]
Nigeria’s Super Eagles thrashed the Red Lions of Luxembourg 3- 1 on Tuesday, at the Stade Josy Barthel stadium in a friendly. the beating appeared to be mission accomplished for the Caretaker Coach, Salihu Yusuf who was tasked to win both friendlies against Mali and Luxembourg. Brown Ideye opened scoring in the 36th minute following a well-worked move. Umar Aminu went past two defenders before he passed to skipper Ogenyi Onazi, whose ferocious effort was partly saved by the goalkeeper and from the rebound Ideye tucked it away. It was Ideye’s first goal in three years and justified why he should considered ahead of Watford striker, Odion Ighalo. Kelechi Iheanacho scored his second goal in as many games when he capitalized on a defensive error after 69 minutes. The home team pulled a goal back on 87 minutes through Vincent Thill after a defensive error. Ighalo profited from a dashing solo run by man of the match Iheanacho in stoppage time to make it 3-1 in favour of Nigeria. Nigeria dominated the proceedings as expected with Luxembourg hardly troubling their goal and by full time, the Eagles enjoyed 69 per cent of the ball possession. Early in the second half, Nigeria made two attacking changes – Moses Simon in for Aminu and Babatunde Michael for Iwobi – as they tried to step up the search for more goals. [myad]
The Nigeria federal government has moved some war arsenals, including an armada of five warships, 100 gunboats and fighter jets to the creeks of the Niger Delta, in response to continued bombing of oil and gas pipelines by Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).
It was gathered that while the Airforce deployed the fighter jets and helicopter gunships, the Army swooped on four more Ijaw communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South West Local Government Area, Delta State, for the militants.
The fighter jets and surveillance aircraft were also seen flying around communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom and Ogulagha area in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State about 10a.m.
Ijaw leader, Chief Godspower Gbenekama, and Public Relations Officer of Oporoza Youth Executive, Paul Kirifade, confirmed the movement of the jet fighters and aircraft in the communities.
It was learned that the fighter jets and surveillance aircraft were deployed to enable the armed forces locate the militants, believed to be running helter-skelter and hiding in the mangrove swamps after the occupation of Oporoza and fly down on Kurutie and other communities, yesterday.
Our source said soldiers stormed Kurutie in six gunboats at 4.30a.m, while the people were still asleep.
A 70-year-old man, identified as Mr. Dogood Ikekama, was said to have been commandeered by the soldiers to take them round some houses in the community.
Bayelsa travelers from the hinterland, confirmed the large military presence in the tricky mangrove swamp of the council, which at the height of youth militancy, had the largest concentration of militant camps in the Delta.
“There is a massive security operation going on in the area. Fighter jets and helicopter gunships have been hovering around the airspace at low level, apparently on surveillance mission. Many of the natives are worried about the development,” said Ayebatari, an indigene of the area.
However, an Agip source said that the company had, amid tight security, commenced repair of the damaged section of Tebidaba-Brass delivery line destroyed on Sunday by militants.
“Yes, the repair work is being done under the radar,” he said in reference to the aerial coverage by the military.
Meanwhile, the invasion of Ijaw communities, which started about 1.52a.m on Saturday, with the take-over of Oporoza, the traditional headquarters of the kingdom and Kurutie, also known as “Little London,” the country home of ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, Okerenkoko, Kokodigbane and Benikrukru, has caused food crisis in Gbaramatu clan. Residents, who fled Oporoza, three days ago to the neighbouring Azama community, are famished, as they had not eaten for the period, while soldiers were reportedly not allowing them to return to the community to look for food and pick their clothes.
The traditional ruler of Gbaramatu kingdom, Williams Ogboba, Oboro Gbaraun II, narrated the ordeal of the people when the Special Adviser to the President on Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), retired Brigadier-General Paul Boroh , visited him at his palace in Oporoza, Delta State, on Sunday.
He said that he was under house arrest and had not taken his bath since soldiers invaded his kingdom, while his subjects in Oporoza had all fled.
Commander, NNS Delta, Commodore Raimi Mohammed, confirmed that the security agencies were now working in synergy to rout the Avengers.
“We (Navy) use helicopter. If you spot it, you will clearly identify it as belonging to us. You see Navy written on it. The jet fighters and surveillance craft were deployed by Air Force to watch over the high risk areas against activities of the oil assets vandals and anyone else involved in criminality in the area.
“There is now strengthened synergy among the security agencies to stop this vandalism. The synergy is there. I will advise those involved to steer clear and employ peaceful ways of agitating and engaging their minds.”
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja is an elite city where all eyes are on the government of the day to do the needful. The residents, who are more or less living in their own World, want social amenities to be working with the precision of the Swiss clock, sometimes without playing their own part.
Abuja, the nation’s capital city came into being in 1976 and seems to be the only city created by law in Nigeria.
The major headache for almost all the Federal Capital Territory Administrations (FCTA) since inception is the lawlessness of some residents who expect miracle from the government without fulfilling their own part of the bargain by obeying appropriate laws governing the Territory. Even ordinary traffic lights that are expected to address traffic chaos and well being of the motoring public, seem to be very difficult to be obeyed by some of them.
The running of modern municipal city calls for closer collaboration of all stakeholders, who are expected to fully participate in all government policies and programmes. There are a lot of postulations, particularly pessimists on the capacity of the present crop of leadership in the Territory to transform Abuja into a World-class city.
The current leadership under Malam Muhammad Musa Bello and the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye is a good combination that can effectively lubricate the wheel of good governance in Abuja, going by their antecedents and the will power exhibited since coming on board.
Malam Bello is a complete gentleman by all standards, who has been well tested in a more difficult terrain. He was rated as not just an achiever who had in hiss past assignments, brought sanity to bear but achieved all set targets, especially at the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
At the NAHCON, he was able to turn around the hitherto chaotic annual Hajj, which at a point became a huge embarrassment to the country, especially in the diplomatic circle. It is on record that Nigerian pilgrims used to sleep sometimes in the Holy land for several extra days or weeks or months, a situation that generated unprecedented embarrassing demonstrations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
His coming as the Chairman of the NAHCON rolled over those embarrassing moments, a development that led to the introduction of a new chapter in the history of Hajj Administration in Nigeria and has remained a reference point in probity and accountability. The knotty issues of provision of accommodation, licensing of airlines, transportation in the holy land and other sundry activities were all ironed out and now are stress-free.
As a technocrat per excellence, no one should be in doubt that Abuja is in for a better deal, but the approach will surely not be what the Abuja residents are used to, this is because he has always emphasized the need to follow due process and extant rules in all the Administration’s dealings.
Some residents are used to see Task Forces chasing beggars, hawkers and miscreants on the streets of Abuja which seemed not achieve much. After chasing them off the streets, these miscreants and hawkers always found their ways back when the activities of the Task Forces die down. But the Bello Administration has a blueprint of sensitizing the people engaged in the menace and why they should be off the streets of Abuja.
On environmental sanitation, the Minister and the Permanent Secretary, before the launch of the Household and Community Sanitation Campaign in all the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory, brought in the Federal Ministry of Environment as a critical stakeholder to partner with the FCT Administration on environmental cleanliness.
The campaign was taken to the doorsteps of all the residents of the FCT, including those in the Area Councils and remote Satellitectowns to enable them key into it. The FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye, went further to partner with the media, particularly the broadcast media organizations to assist the FCTA in sensitizing the residents with catchy phrases like “Have you cleaned your environment this morning?”
In that meeting with the top broadcast media managers in his office recently, Dr. Ajakaiye said: “our aim today is to kick-start another phase of the campaign which is intensive sensitization and mobilization to reach individual medium to disseminate information to the residents of the FCT on sanitation, engage them in conversation and touch their minds on the need to change from living in a filth-ridden environment into a clean and green one.”
In order to ensure that the message achieves its intended purpose, the Permanent Secretary urged the media to make the campaign part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
A critical appraisal of the Abuja city toady reveals that the present FCT Administration has ensured that several major contractors were mobilized back to sites. A visit to Karshi – Apo road would gladden one’s heart as work has gotten to advanced stage. The street lights, road shoulders as well as the deadly road leading to popular Utako Motor Park have been tarred at no cost to the government.
In the area of garbage collection by the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, the Permanent Secretary recently visited the Board headquarters with firm instructions to conduct a security check on all the 27 cleaning contractors in order to strengthen their capacity in refuse collection in and around the capital city. This has prompted the removal of the AEPB Director, all the Departmental and Unit heads of the organization recently.
The FCT Administration runs two line budgets that include the National Priority and the FCT Statutory. The former deals only with few national projects like infrastructure development as the Statutory handles about 90 percent of its expenditure. Today, the national priority has already been signed into law and President Muhammadu Buhari early this week, urged the National Assembly to help pass the statutory budget. Once the later is ready, Nigerians should expect massive and unprecedented development, because it takes care of staff salaries, some major projects and municipal services.
It is therefore instructive for Abuja residents and other stakeholders in the Abuja project to note that the present leadership in the FCT under a diligent and an astute administrator, Muhammad Musa Bello and with the support of a thorough bred bureaucrat, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye, the World would soon witness a coordinated, unprecedented infrastructural and social development in the FCT. This is so, because the gentlemen are poised and can surely tackle the ills of Abuja.
Muhammad Hazat Sule, Deputy Director / Chief Press Secretary, FCT wrote from Abuja. [myad]
A Presidential frontrunner in the forthcoming election in the United States of America, Donald Trump has described an American journalist as “a sleaze.”
Trump, in a combative press conference on Tuesday called in which he defended his record on supporting veterans, said that he raised $5.6 million for charities on the campaign trail.
“You’re a sleaze,” said the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, pointing to a journalist who he said was from news network ABC, “because you know the facts and you know the facts well.”
Trump called the political press “among the most dishonest people I have ever met,” and criticized media coverage of his presidential campaign in general and his appearance at a veterans biker rally on Sunday.
The New York real estate tycoon annihilated more than a dozen rivals in the race to sew up the Republican nomination for the White House and is trailing Democratic frontrunner, Hillary Clinton by just a few percentage points in recent polls ahead of November’s general election. [myad]
Former Nigeria Vice President and Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar has said that the Federal Republic of Nigeria as currently constituted is not working.
He insisted that greater autonomy to states is the panacea to the country’s multi-faceted internal crisis.
Atiku, who spoke on Tuesday, at the official launch of a book: “We Are All Biafrans,” written by activist, journalist and scholar, Chido Onumah, in Abuja, said that Nigerians have suffered for too long under a poorly-designed structure.
“Nigeria is not working as well as it should. And part of the reason is the poor way we have structured our economy and governance, especially since 1960.”
The former Vice President said the federal government’s powers dwindles those of states, adding that it difficult for states to carry out customized initiatives for their individual residents.
He said that such situation needs to change, adding: “the federal government is too big and too powerful relative to the federating units. That situation needs to change and calling for that change is patriotic.”
Atiku advised Nigerians to desist from condemning those clamouring for a weak center in Nigeria’s political system, saying: “we must refrain from assuming that anyone calling for restructuring of our federation is working for the breakup of our country. Absolutely not. And I reject that notion.”
The APC chieftain, who chaired the book launch, said the federal government cannot foster national unity even with its enormous power and that it is worsening the country’s circumstances.
“An excessively powerful centre does not equate to national unity. Absolutely not. If anything, it has made our unity more fragile, our government more unstable and our country more unsafe. We must renegotiate our union in other to make it strong.”
Atiku called on Nigerians to embrace a restructured Nigeria which he said, will also reduce the importance politicians place on elections into federal positions.
“Greater autonomy, power and resources for state and local authority will give the federations units greater freedom and flexibility to address local issues for their priorities and peculiarities. It will reduce the premium placed on capturing power at the centre. It will reduce insecurity. It will promote healthy rivalry amongst federations units.”
Meanwhile, Chido Onumah, the author of “We Are All Biafrans,” said that the book took him three years to put together.
The launch was attended by former Education Minister, Oby Ezekwesili, civil society leaders, Jubrin Ibrahim and Nnimo Bassey.
The book, which explains how the agitation for Biafra is actually a metaphor for all the tribes in the country, was reviewed by Chidi Odinkalu, a professor of law and former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission. [myad]
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The Ebonyi State Government has earmarked 40,500 hectares of land for rice cultivation this farming season.
