How Nigeria Can Generate 188 Billion From Cassava Annually – Expert

November 5, 2021

Farmer carefully packing harvested cassava tubers for transportation to the market

The Executive Director of Partnership Initiative for Niger Delta (PIND), Dara Akala, has shown how Nigeria can generate over $427.3 million (about N188 billion) from domestic value-added to cassava in addition to $2.98 (about N1.2 Trillion) in export of the commodity annually.

Speaking today, November 5 at the National Cassava Summit in Abuja, Dala Akala said that processing would potentially unlock about 16 million dollars in taxes to the government per annum.

The summit was in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), it stated.

The PIND boss said that a 2020 report estimated that Nigeria would need to plant about 28.3 million metric tonnes of fresh cassava roots on about 1.2 million hectares of land annually, to meet the country’s demand for its by-products and derivatives.

According to him, PIND has invested almost $800,000 to increase cassava production, strengthened coordination and relationships of cassava value chain actors, and has promoted improved technologies for cassava production in the Niger Delta region.

“Through this, we have effectively reached approximately 300,000 farmers with information and training, and facilitated the creation of almost 2,500 jobs and a network of 150 service providers.”

Akala, however, said the large-scale cassava processors required a reliable, healthy and timely supply of fresh cassava roots to feed their mills continually.

He regretted that Nigerian farmers are unable to deliver the quantity and quality of cassava roots required on time, resulting in low productivity, gross under-utilisation of turnkey processing machines and subsequent loss of capital.

He said that experts had reported that the combination of high yielding, virus free varieties, mechanised system and good agronomic practices, including six steps in weed management, could be the country’s game changer in root supply.

A Director at IITA, Dr Alfred Dixon, expressed sadness that Africa is spending about 35 billion annually on food import.

“The danger is if we do nothing about this, food import would rise to 110 billion dollars by 2025, and if this happens, our trade, and particularly exchange rates, will be in jeopardy.

“We will be exporting jobs and importing poverty, unemployment will rise and raise the tempo of youth restiveness to a higher degree.

“The impact will be precarious on the food and nutrition security of the continent, it is timelier to double our efforts to arrest the situation.”

Source: NAN.

Minister To Abuja Residents: Take Security As Your Responsibility

Editorial staff

November 5, 2021

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, has reminded residents of the territory that security is their responsibility.

His spokesman quoted him as having “reminded residents of the FCT that security was every citizen’s responsibility and urged them to be vigilant and always report any suspected criminal activity to the security agencies or their various community leaders.”

The Minister spoke today, November 5 against the background of the release of the six persons that were kidnapped from the University of Abuja staff quarters at Giri in Gwagwalada Area Council.

Muhammad Musa Bello, who assured residents of increased security surveillance across the territory, commended the security agencies in the FCT and across neighboring states for their joint and untiring efforts leading to the rescue of of the kidnapped two Professors, two other lecturers and two children on November 2.

The Minister also thanked all other government officials, community leaders and the citizens who silently worked behind the scenes in the FCT and the neighboring communities in determination to see to the rescue of the abducted persons by providing invaluable intelligence.

Muhammad Musa Bello also commended the families of the abductees and the entire University of Abuja community for their patience and collaboration with the security agencies.

He reiterated the importance of citizens’ cooperation with the security agencies for their protection and general wellbeing.

He advised the residents to go about their lawful affairs without anxiety or fear, assuring them of their continuous safety.

Release Of UniAbuja Staff: Kidnappers Demanded N300 Million, But We Didn’t Pay Kobo – Authority

Editorial staff

November 5, 2021

University of Abuja Vice Chancellor | Prof. Abdulrasheed Naallah

Authority of the University of Abuja has confirmed the release of the two Professors, two other lecturers and two children by kidnappers who struck on Tuesday, November 2 at the staff quarters in Giri, on Gwagwalada road.

The spokesman of the University, Dr. Habib Yakoob, in a statement today, November 5, said that the kidnappers demanded the sum of N300 million as a ransom for their release but that a kobo was not released before they were let-off the hook.

According to Dr. Habib, the victims were rescued following the operations of the combined security forces, including the police, DSS, Military, and University of Abuja Safety Officers.

“The University management under the able and visionary leadership of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, expresses gratitude to God Almighty; the joint forces, including military, DSSS, University of Abuja safety officers for the unconditional release of our staff.

“At the moment, the University community is in wild jubilation as staff members and students are congratulating and hugging one another for this good news.

“The management of the University is also grateful to all our staff members, well-meaning Nigerians, who empathized with us in that moment of tribulation and trial. Without your relentless prayers and supports, we might still be in a terrible mood.

“The management restates its commitment to providing adequate security to the University community and will continue to work with security operatives to prevent a repeat of that ugly incident.”

MTN Moves To Sell 575 Million Shares To Nigerians

Greenbarge Reporters

November 5, 2021

MTN Nigeria Communications Plc (MTN Nigeria) has announced on the floor of the Stock Exchange, the intention of the MTN Group to proceed with a public offer for sale of up to 575 million shares in MTN Nigeria by way of a bookbuild to institutional investors and fixed price to retail investors. According to the company, the Offer is the first step in MTN Group’s previously communicated plan to sell down c.14% of its current shareholding in MTN Nigeria.

The Offer is expected to open this month, November 2021 with a bookbuild for institutional investors after which a fixed price should be announced for retail investors in the same month.

Today, the local bourse extended its bearish performance as sell-offs in WAPCO (-1.9%), UBA (-2.4%), and ACCESS (-0.5%) pulled the NGX All-Share Index lower by 8bps to 41,943.83 points. Consequently, the market capitalisation shed ₦16.5bn to ₦21.9tn while YTD return was unchanged at 4.2%. Market activity faltered as volume and value traded declined by 45.1% and 31.6% respectively to 160.9m units and ₦1.4bn. FBNH (19.5m units), LASACO (10.6m units), and TRANSCORP (10.6m units) topped the volume chart while FBNH (₦208.3m), NGXGROUP (₦154.1m), and ZENITHBANK (₦130.5m) led the market by value.

Performance across sectors under our coverage was bearish as 4 indices lost, 1 gained while the AFR-ICT index remained flat. The Oil & Gas index shed 0.6% to lead the laggards, following price depreciation in OANDO (-3.4%) and JAPAULGOLD (-5.0%). Similarly, the Consumer Goods and Banking indices declined 0.6% and 0.5% respectively due to sell pressures on UNILEVER (-8.7%), GUINNESS (-7.3%), UBA (-2.4%) and ACCESS (-0.5%). Losses in WAPCO (-1.9%) dragged the Industrial Goods index lower by 0.1%. On the flip side, the Insurance index gained 1.3% on the back of optimism in AIICO (+4.9%), MANSARD (+3.6%) and LINKASSURE (+7.6%).

Investor sentiment, as measured by market breadth (advance/decline ratio), weakened to 0.5x from 0.7x as 13 stocks advanced while 25 stocks declined. SCOA (+9.5%), LINKASSURE (+7.5%), and OKOMUOIL (+5.2%) led gainers while PHARMDEKO (-10.0%), UNILEVER (-8.7%), and REDSTAREX (-8.2% ) led decliners. In the final trading session of the week, we anticipate that the bears would hold sway in the absence of positive catalysts.

Source: Business News Report

Bianca Remembers Late Husband, Odumegwu Ojukwu, Says APGA Is Like Secret Cult Now

Greenbarge Reporters

November 5, 2021

The widow of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu has expressed worry over the dwindling political fortune of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

“APGA is now like a secret cult and this has reduced our once vibrant party to a shadow of its former self.”

Bianca Ojukwu, in a statement yesterday, November 4 to mark the posthumous birthday of the late Biafra warlord, on November 4, said that it is of serious concern that members of APGA are decamping to other political parties in their numbers, especially the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Bianca Ojukwu blamed the current situation in APGA on what she called ’leadership failure’ by the party.

“Bad leadership has left a deeply wounded and visibly divided party, with members decamping from the party almost on a daily basis with the alacrity of rats deserting a sinking ship.

“Curiously, they are almost all defecting to APC. Our party has lost almost half of our state and national legislators, several principal members of our Board of Trustees including the Secretary of the Board.

“The serving deputy governor of the state, Dr Nkem Okeke, who joined the APC recently, Party local government leaders, countless party executive members including Governor Obiano’s own ward chairman all joining APC is very worrisome.”

Mrs Ojukwu blamed APGA’s present leader and the state governor, Chief Willie Obiano and his henchmen for the downfall of the party.

According to her, the state is suffering the most extreme state of insecurity under his watch which has seen several citizens, including a traditional ruler in his community gunned down in broad daylight recently.

“To the governor’s credit, Anambra Airport is nearing completion but then, the intercity roads and roads leading to the communities are in a terrible state, and this has created a persistent gridlock within the state.”

Bianca, who was a beauty queen, expressed optimism that in spite of the obvious cracks, APGA would do well during Saturday election.

She said that APGA is not just a political party, but a state of mind.

“The party has a good candidate in this guber election in the person of Professor Charles Soludo and he has all it takes to chart a new course both in the trajectory of the party and of the state.”

Source: NAN.

Nigeria Produces 2 Million Metric Tones Of Onions Annually – Agric Minister

Greenbarge Reporters

November 5, 2021

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Muhammad Abubakar, has said that Nigeria is producing two million metric tones of onions annually.

He told the 4th Regional Onion annual conference and general meeting holding in Kano that one of the commonly consumed vegetable crop in Nigeria is onion.

“In fact, Nigeria is among the largest producers of onions in the world with over two million tonnes produced annually,” he said, pledging to support onion farmers to boost their production, for domestic and export purposes.

Represented by the Ministry’s Kano state coordinator, Mr Abba Gana-Yamani, the minister noted that onion had many health benefits.

“Onion offers excellent health benefits, and ease of cultivating the crop makes it a lucrative venture for any aspiring farmer.

“Onion is used in the preparation of most of the popular Nigerian delicious meals and has numerous health benefits which included lowering cholesterol, blood pressure and sugar levels,” he said.

The minister, however, noted that although there were many farmers involved in the production of red onions, there were still a shortfall in meeting national demand, especially during the wet season.

According to him, the crop is grown mostly in Kano, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Bauchi, Borno, Plateau and Kebbi States.

In his remarks, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State said that onion is an important vegetable crop used by all households in the country.

Ganduje, who was represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Nasiru Yusuf-Gawuna, said that Kano state is the third largest onion producer in the country, with the highest number of onion markets.

The governor said that his administration is ready to join hands with private firms to establish an onion processing factory in the state.

Also speaking, the National President, NOPPMAN, Aliyu Isah-Maitasamu, said that the conference is meant to provide them the opportunity to review their activities after the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said that the country requires about 2.5 million metric tonnes of onions annually.

Isah-Maitasamu said onion us being used by pharmaceutical companies and could be turned into powder to produce bread, chocolate and other products for human consumption, noting that the country needed about 2.5 million metric tonnes of onions annually, to meet demand.

Mustapha Kadri, President, Regional observatory on Onions for West and Central Africa, said that onion is being produced in 22 countries in the region.

He urged stakeholders to intensify efforts in supporting the production of the crop for its value chain benefits.

The event was organised by Regional observatory on Onions for West and Central Africa, in collaboration with National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN).

Source: NAN.

We Never Asked For Boycott Of Anambra Guber Poll – IPOB

Greenbarge Reporters

November 5, 2021

File photo: Members of IPOB during protest in Anambra

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has sworn that it had never called for a boycott of the Anambra governorship election slated for Saturday, November 6.

“We wish to reiterate that IPOB did not at any time issue an order or call for the boycott of the said election contrary to misconceptions in certain quarters. IPOB has nothing to do with the Anambra election,” the group’s spokesman, Emma Powerful said in a statement yesterday, November 4.

The separatist group re-emphasised its earlier stance that if its leader Nnamdi Kanu is not released by the end of the day from federal custody after being charged for terrorism the south-east region will embark on a sit-at-home protest from November 5 to November 10.

“The priority of IPOB is to secure the unconditional release of our Leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who has been illegally detained since his rendition to Nigeria. All we said was that if by November 4 those who abducted, renditioned, and illegally detained him fail to release him unconditionally, Biafrans shall embark on civil disobedience of a one-week sit-at-home beginning from November 5 to November 10.”

The group said that it was unbothered about the election, “but our only advice to Ndi Anambra, especially those contemplating voting, is to be very careful about their security.”

The IPOB said that no one has been asked to enforce sit-at-home order. It also dissociated itself from the audio recording warning hoteliers in Anambra State to shut their doors.

“Our people are all fed up with their suffering and oppressive conditions imposed upon us by the contraption called Nigeria and do not need any persuasion to do the needful.”

ICPC, DSS Arrest 48 Lecturers, Security Officers, Others Over Leakage of University Examinations

Editorial staff

November 4, 2021

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested 48 individuals for their alleged questionable roles in the conducts of the Joint Universities Preliminary Examinations Board (JUPEB).

The joint operation tagged: ‘Operation Combo’ conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, led to the arrests of lecturers, security officers, workers and students from some of the participating universities in the exam.

A statement today, November 3 from the ICPC spokesperson, Azuka C. Ogugua said that Operation Combo was simultaneously carried out in seven states after extensive monitoring of tutorial schools allegedly known for notoriously compromising JUPEB examinations, leading to the arrest of the President of Tutorial School Owners (ATSO).

The statement said that the operation, which came as a result of sustained period of surveillance and undercover investigations spanning several weeks, led to multiple arrests of suspects including parents of candidates of the exam.

Also arrested, the statement said, were lecturers and others involved in examination malpractices and other illegalities in the participating institutions.

It said that the suspects were arrested from Wellspring University, Benin, Edo State; Christopher University, Mowe, Ogun State and Crown-Hill University, Ilorin, Kwara State.

It said that the raid of tutorial centres by operatives in McPherson and Precious Cornerstone universities in Ibadan and Ilara-Epe, in Oyo State respectively, led to more arrests of suspects.

“Credible intelligence gathered during the operations showed active connivance of the parents of the students and the management of the universities.

“Three current Vice-Chancellors have been invited by ICPC for their roles in the unchecked and massive malpractices reported.

“It was revealed that syndicated social media platforms were created by the facilitators for leaking questions and circulating answers to students for a fee during examinations.

“Investigation also revealed that candidates, who are mostly minors, allegedly paid between N350,000 to N500,000 each to the suspects in the various tutorial schools to engage in the illegalities.

“The cartel, in connivance with the coordinators of the examination centres and other management staff of the institutions, deliberately allowed security lapses to enable the candidates go into examination halls with smart-phones and other electronic devices to send question papers to waiting groups online and subsequently, receive answers to questions thereby engaging in massive malpractices.”

The statement said that some of the suspects arrested have been granted administrative bail while investigation is on-going.

It explained that JUPEB is an advanced level educational examination that qualifies its candidate for admission into 200 level in any Nigerian and foreign universities through direct entry.

“It is coordinated by the University of Lagos and has up to 10 accredited universities.”

Husband Locks Himself, Wife Up In Room And Allegedly Beats Her To Death

Editorial staff

November 4, 2021

A 24 year old man, Mojiyagbe Olamilekan, has been arrested by the Ogun State police for allegedly killing his wife, Seun Mojiyagbe after locking himself and the wife up in their room.

According to the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, in a statement yesterday, November 3 in Abeokuta, the suspect was arrested following a distress call received from the neighbours of the couple.

The police spokesman said that they received the alert that the suspect locked himself and his wife up in their room, and started to beat her.

“It was the wailing of the wife that attracted the neighbours, who tried all efforts to persuade the suspect to open the door but he refused.

“Upon the distress call, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Ode Remo Division, CSP Olayemi Fagbohun, quickly mobilised his men and moved to the scene where the door to the couple’s apartment was forced opened.

“The victim was met lying down unconscious in the pool of her own blood. She was quickly rushed to the State Hospital in Isara Remo where she was pronounced dead by the doctor on duty.”

DSP Oyeyemi said that the husband was promptly arrested and taken to custody, saying that the corpse of the victim had been deposited in the mortuary for autopsy.

He said that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Lanre Bankole, had ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for investigation and prosecution.

Source: NAN.

JAMB Remits N3.51 Billion Operating Surplus To National Treasury

Editorial staff

November 4, 2021

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has remitted a total of N3.51 billion into the national treasury as part of 2021 operating surplus.

JAMB spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, in a statement in Abuja yesterday, November 3, said that the 2021 remittance was in line with Professor Is-haq Oloyede’s avowed commitment to prudent management of public resources.

According to him, commitment to probity and the adoption of international best practices make for cost-effective operational processes and attendant savings to yield those humongous remittances to government coffers.

He said that this was the norm rather than the exception in the last six years beginning from 2016 when Oloyede remitted the whopping sum of N7 billion and repeated same in subsequent years.

“It is pertinent to note that one of the direct benefits of the sustained remittances by the Professor Oloyede-led management manifested in the reduction of the cost of the application documents (UTME and DE) by candidates from N5,000 to N3,500 in 2018, by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“This singular act has ensured the annual transfer of over N3 billion to the pockets of parents and guardians of candidates as a consequence of the slash in the price of UTME forms.

“The board, led by Professor Oloyede will continue to prune down the cost of governance and release resources for other needy national prioritise areas.”

Source: NAN.

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