Governor of Taraba State, Darius Dickson Ishaku has boasted that his state has all it takes to produce all the rice that will meet the need of Nigerians

“Taraba can supply the country with rice. I’m seeking for more aid (from President Muhammadu Buhari) towards the farming of rice, particularly the dry season rice, where we get three or four times of that one of the rainy season and more and more people have been encouraged  into this farming.

“I have empowered well over 20,000 people and they are all interested in the dry season.”

The governor, who spoke today, December 15 to newsmen shortly after a private audience with the President at the Presidential villa, Abuja, believed that if the state is assisted, it would be able to produce enough rice in this country “because we have the land.”

Governor Ishaku said that the state had so far not been able to access loans that have been approved through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), pleading that urgent action is needed in this regard.

“We also have gotten assistance from Czech Republic to give us long term loan; we have actually manufactured about 2,000 tractors. For over two years, it is stuck in Czech Republic. We have not been able to get those shipped to our farmers.

“And there are other assistances that comes from the federal ministry. Some have reached us which we are utilizing very well.

“But I imagine that without getting this soft machinery assistances, you will not be able to encourage much more people than we already have.

“Because, if they have  this small medium tractors, which we had ordered, with their chemicals, fertilizers, and so forth, which usually come from ministries and  the federal government, we will go far.

“And even with those places particularly my area, I need to do channelization. I need canals, I need  to build a lot of canals to carry this water during the dry season along the coast of the rivers.

“We have Ricer Taraba, River Donga, River Gongola within the state, without those canals, they cannot irrigate.

“We have excess water during rainy season, but then it dries and if we have these canals, we can store this water as a dam, pump it  and it will roll down and the farmers use them in their farms.

“I don’t know if you have ever been to Kano: you would see those canals on your way entering Kano. This is the kind of thing I am hoping to do in Taraba.

“We have applied to CBN for years, nothing has happened. And without you doing this, we cannot get the dry season farmers to come on board.

“And as I said earlier, they harvest three to four times more than the rainy season.”

Governor Ishaku said that Taraba is nature’s gift to the nation, saying: “we have all the zones, the seasons, the vegetation, right from Savannah to the trunk rain forest.

“Do you know we grow cocoa in Taraba? Do you know we have palm oil in Taraba? “We have a rubber  plantations, all the tropical trees that grow in the tropics they grow in Taraba. And then we have the mountain vegetation that is the only place you can  plant coffee and tea.”

He said that his government is encouraging more people to plant tea “and we have gone into coffee now, which is my next step. I hope  to do it before I leave office; let coffee also pick up like highland tea  picked up.

“Then between the tropical foreign and the savanna, you have the lush vegetation where you plant soybeans.

” Since I came on board  about six years ago, we have been giving free beneseed and free soybean seedlings  and now a lot of people are growing them.

“There’s still a lot of demand because the beneseed and soya beans  are commercial products.

“And now talk of cassava, we are the ones  exporting cassava because everywhere in Taraba you can plant cassava and it grows very well.

“So, I can go on and on and lost and now I have been encouraging people to  avocado: a lot  of people have gone into planting  avocado and we are targeting avocado for export and i am working hard also to give a new airport runway for export.

“So, all these our produce if they start coming up before export and not even talked about beef, milk and so on and so forth.

“We have been practicing ranching since in the 60s. So when they are talking about ranching, it is not new to us. All our animals in the mountains are domesticated and they are sweetest  meat.”

The Citizens’ Initiative for Security Awareness (CISA) is angry with media commentators and Civil Society Organisations (CSO) over what it called blowing discontent and acrimony in the Armed Forces.

Speaking today, December 13 at a news conference in Abuja, the group’s National Organizing Secretary, Zakari Mukhtar, warned those he called “paid groups,” to desist forthwith.

He insisted that the activities of some insidious groups are targeted at destabilizing and distracting Nigerian military’s battle against insurgency and other sundry criminalities.

The group was reacting to a statement credited to an orgnisation that alleged ill feelings within the ranks of the military and capable of nurturing sabotage and even mutiny because of the position of Army Chief and Defence Intelligence Chief coming from course 37 while Course 36 officers were allegedly relegated and moved to the Army Resource Center.

The group said that while it would not begrudge or discourage individuals and group from expressing their views about the conduct of military operations, it cautioned CSOs and the media against offering their platforms for the peddling of unsubstantiated allegations or advancement of ulterior motives.

“The natural question to ask the fellows who made the reckless allegations are as follows: what are the yardstick with which the performances of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Faruk Yahaya and the Chief of Defence Intelligence, General Samuel Adebayo assessed? What was the intention in singling both of them out for excoriation when they spent less than a year on their current positions? How long have they been in the office to earn them such bad reviews? Why should the two military officers be subjected to this grand blackmail and propaganda.

“What was the essence of trying to pitch the top echelon of our military against the other based on their Courses? How is working to distract the leadership of the military in bringing about the much needed results in the battle against terrorists and bandits? When the petitioners claim that the experience of members of 36 participants has been relegated and that it will nurture sabotage and mutiny, what exactly do they mean? Are they directly or indirectly inciting sabotage and mutiny in the system?

“In what ways are the so-called Civil Society Organisations helping the system by openly encouraging and giving oxygen to inter-service and inter-agency rivalry, in the manner of their press statement? In general terms, how did their intervention help in boosting the morale and fighting spirit of our gallant troops.

“As a civil society group interested in the general security and welfare of Nigerians, and who understands the grave implication of subjecting the military and security agencies to undue politicization and demonization of their leadership, CISA believes that critics of military operations should show objectivity and balance in their analysis and commentaries,” Mukhtar said.

The CISA Scribe said: “For us in CISA, we wish to urge Nigerians, especially those who wish to be identified as civil society organisations, to be mindful of the kind of advocacy or activism they engage in, especially at a time like this.

“It is most unpatriotic, insensitive and treacherous for any so-called CSO to willfully and deliberately offer its platform and legitimacy to be used in fanning the embers of discord or promotion of discontent and acrimony within the ranks of the Nigerian military or any security agency for that matter.

“CISA acknowledges the very challenging security situation in the country but it is not unmindful of the efforts and commitment of the military in stemming the tide. We believe that the time we are in now calls for All-of-the-Nation Approach in confronting the security challenges.

“Every segment of the society is expected to contribute its quota if we must surmount the security challenges. It is no longer acceptable for any group to stay aloof in their comfort zones and be pointing fingers of blame or making wild allegations.”

Source: PRNigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari has warned Nigerians that Coronavirus is real and is no respecter of persons.

The President, who reacted to the news that his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa had tested positive for COVID-19, in a get well message today, December 13, said: “the coronavirus pandemic is a reality and no respecter of persons.”

President Buhari asked Nigerians to disregard the allegation that the pandemic is a foreign creation to depopulate Africa and boost the financial interests of western pharmaceutical companies through vaccine production.”

He warned that lack of attention to medical advice and apathy are damaging to the government’s efforts to contain the spread of this deadly viral disease, even as he advised Nigerians to come out fully and get vaccinated.

In the statement by his spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, President Buhari said: “my heart and prayers are with Mr Ramaphosa of South Africa at this difficult moment of health challenge, and I pray for his speedy and full recovery.

“Mr Ramaphosa is a friend of Nigeria and an important partner in our joint continental efforts to tackle Africa’s social, economic and political difficulties.”