SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
Try "researchers"
Home Blog Page 3333

International Press Institute mourns publisher of Leadership newspaper

Lateefat Ibrahim
-
0

The International Press Institute( IPI) says it received with disbelief and shock, news of the death of Mr. Sam Nda- Isaiah, Publisher of the Leadership Newspapers and a Patron of IPI.

“We mourn Mr. Nda-Isaiah’s death, which has come at a time his services are still needed in the Media industry and the nation.”

“We offer our condolences to the family of our departed colleague, to the staff and management of Leadership Newspaper and to the entire Media community.”

The institute prays that God Almighty accept the soul of Mr. Nda-Isaiah and give the family the fortitude to bear the loss.

This was contained in a statement co-signed by Chairman, IPI Nigeria, Kabiru Yusuf and the Secretary, IPI NIgeria, Raheem Adedoyin.

 

Lateefah Ibrahim

Nigeria collaborates with UNHCR to implement Global Compact on Refugees

Dominica Ijeoma Nwabufo
-
0

Nigeria has consistently remained committed to the implementation of the 1951 United Nations Convention on Refugees and its Protocol, as well as other relevant instruments.

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq said this in Abuja, Nigeria at the opening ceremony of a two day Humanitarian stakeholders’ meeting on the implementation of the Global Compact for Refugees, GCR.

She said the meeting was to demonstrate Nigeria’s commitment to the implementation of the GCR to promote the interest of persons of concern

“On 17th December 2018, the United Nations General Assembly affirmed the Global Compact on Refugees, after two years of extensive consultations led by UNHCR with Member States, international organizations, refugees, civil society, the private sector and relevant experts. Nigeria played an active part in this process and that was a demonstration of global solidarity and commitment to promote the interest of persons of concern, which Nigeria proudly associates with”, she said

According to her, to ensure its effective implementation, the Global Refugees Forum was initiated to enable countries to lay foundations and chart a cause for collective outcomes.

“As you are aware, the world is facing serious humanitarian challenges. Available statistics from UNHCR as at 2019 shows that there are 79.5 million Forcibly Displaced Persons (FDPs), including 

25.9 million Refugees and 41.3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the world as at the end of 2018″. 

“In the Lake Chad Basin region, there were over 3.3 million FDPs, comprising over 2.7 million IDPs in North-East Nigeria, 513,000 IDPs in Cameroon, Chad and Niger and 244,000 refugees in the four countries”, the Minister said.

Farouq further stated that Nigeria had the highest number and carries the

heaviest burden of the humanitarian challenge.

“The adoption of GCR is a good omen for Nigeria. It has opened a new vista of opportunities for stakeholders to access support in a timely, predictable and sustainable manner. It creates an incentive for stakeholders to join forces and pool resources to address the humanitarian challenge and to do it with the intention of addressing underlying causes in a sustainable and humane manner”. 

“It also enables stakeholders to approach the humanitarian challenge from a durable solution perspective which requires closer, stronger and well-coordinated partnerships and collaborations across all levels of governance”, she emphasized.

“In Nigeria, we have adopted this approach. In our efforts to advance collaboration, we worked with UNHCR and countries in the Lake Chad Basin to host a Regional Protection Dialogue, which led to the Abuja Statement of Action in 2016”, the Humanitarian Minister added.

 

For its part, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR, said the United Nations General Assembly affirmed the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) in December 2018 as an act of solidarity, recognizing the international community’s shared responsibility for protecting, assisting and finding solutions to refugees.

 

The Country Representative to Nigeria, Ms Chansa Kapaya said despite a significant scale-up of humanitarian response since 2016, more IDPs have been forced to leave their homes with over  2 Million internally displaced  while another 300,000  Nigerians  displaced externally have  sought refuge  in the neighbouring  Lake  Chad Basin countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

 

“The country has been home to over 61,000 refugees and asylum seekers who have sought refuge from neighbouring Cameroon escaping from political tensions in the South West and North West of the country since 2017. UNHCR and the Government of Nigeria continue to record hundreds of new arrivals every month, these refugees are hosted predominately in the States of Cross River, Benue and Taraba. The Country also hosts some 4,300 urban refugees and asylum seekers living in various urban centers in Nigeria mainly from the DRC, CAR, Cameron, Syria, Turkey, Mali, Cote D’Ivoire and others”. 

 

“In addition, Nigeria faces a protracted humanitarian crisis in northeast Nigeria particularly in the three States of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe which is now over a decade with a cycle of violence and displacements due to insurgency activities of NSAG that continues to create new emergencies”, Kapaya noted

According to her, the Global Compact has four objectives:

  1. To ease pressure on host countries.
  2. Enhance refugee self-reliance.
  3. Expand access to third country solutions and
  4. Support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity.

Kapaya added that the Government of Nigeria’s commitment to the protection of refugees and asylum-seekers has been renewed on many occasions and Nigeria has demonstrated exemplary reception and support towards forcibly displaced populations as evidenced by the progressive commitments it made at the Global Refugee Forum in 2019 for the implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees.

“These important pledges pivot around the objective of empowering refugees to be self-reliant while supporting the communities that generously host them”.

Nigeria has committed to the following pledges:

  1. Include refugees, IDPs and their host communities in government development plans.
  2. Strengthen national protection capacity.
  3. Ensure availability and access to durable solutions for refugees and IDPs.
  4. Continue playing an active role in regional and sub-regional efforts to address the root causes of displacement.

The primary objective of the meeting is to take stock and discuss practical ways to support the government in the implementation of the Pledges and objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees Pledges through a Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework approach in Nigeria.

 

 

US Pfizer Covid vaccine approved for emergency use

Mercy Chukwudiebere
-
0

The US Food and Drug Administration has authorised the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for emergency use.

The agency said the authorisation was a “significant milestone” in the pandemic, which taken more than 295,000 lives in the US.

The vaccine, which offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19, was deemed safe and effective by the FDA.

President Donald Trump said ”the first vaccinations will take place “in less than 24 hours”.

“Today our nation has achieved a medical miracle…We have delivered a safe and effective vaccine in just nine months,” Mr Trump said.

Before the announcement on Friday night, the FDA had come under intense pressure from the Trump administration to approve the vaccine’s use.

The head of the agency, Stephen Hahn, was told to approve it for emergency use by Friday or quit, US media reported, although he called this “untrue”.

Health and Human Services Secretary, Alex Azar, told reporters earlier on Friday that his department would work with Pfizer to get the mass vaccination programme started by Monday or Tuesday.

The Pfizer vaccine has already received regulatory approval in the UK, Canada, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Like those countries, the US will give its first doses of the vaccine to the elderly, health workers and emergency crew.

Coronavirus deaths have been rising sharply since November in the US. On Wednesday, the country recorded more than 3,000 deaths, the highest total in a single day anywhere in the world.

“The FDA’s authorisation for emergency use of the first Covid-19 vaccine is a significant milestone in battling this devastating pandemic that has affected so many families in the United States and around the world,” Mr Hahn said.

He said the authorisation came after “an open and transparent review process” that ensured the vaccine met the “FDA’s rigorous, scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality”.

On Thursday, medical experts advising the FDA recommended the emergency-use authorisation. A 23-member panel concluded the vaccine’s benefits outweighed its risks.

Emergency use, the FDA said, is not the same as full approval, which would require Pfizer to file a separate application to secure.

“While not an FDA approval, today’s emergency use authorisation of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine holds the promise to alter the course of this pandemic in the United States,” the Director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Peter Marks said.

On Friday, President Trump sent out an angry tweet calling the FDA a “big, old, slow turtle”, adding: “Get the dam vaccines out NOW, Dr Hahn. Stop playing games and start saving lives.”

The Washington Post said that White House chief of staff Mark Meadows had ordered Mr Hahn to approve the vaccine on Friday or submit his resignation, citing three sources. But Mr Hahn told US media he had only been “encouraged to continue working expeditiously” on the vaccine’s approval, and that the media representation of the chief of staff’s phone call was “untrue”.

Amid the reports of White House pressure, President-elect Joe Biden said ”he wanted to make it clear to the public that they should have confidence in the vaccine, adding: “There is no political influence.”

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was the first coronavirus jab to show promising results in the latter stages of its testing process.

It is a new type called an mRNA vaccine that uses a tiny fragment of genetic code from the pandemic virus to teach the body how to fight Covid-19 and build immunity.

“The vaccine contains a small piece of the [Covid-19] virus’s mRNA that instructs cells in the body to make the virus’s distinctive ‘spike’ protein.

“When a person receives this vaccine, their body produces copies of the spike protein, which does not cause disease, but triggers the immune system to learn to react defensively, producing an immune response against [Covid-19],” the FDA said.

The vaccine is given as two injections, 21 days apart, with the second dose being a booster. Immunity begins to kick in after the first dose but reaches its full effect seven days after the second dose.

Operation Warp Speed says that vaccine deliveries will begin within 24 hours of approval.

“We have made sure that this vaccine will be free, for all Americans,” Mr Trump said in a recorded video posted to Twitter.

“We have already begun shipping the vaccine to every state and zip code in the country. The first vaccine will be administered in less than 24 hours,” the President sstated.

Pfizer plans to have 6.4 million doses ready for the US in its first rollout round in late December.

Because two injections are required per person, that is enough for three million people, out of a total US population of 330 million.

 

 

BBC/Mercy Chukwudiebere

Brexit: UK-EU talks continue as Navy boats put on standby

Mercy Chukwudiebere
-
0

Trade talks between the United Kingdom, UK and the European Union, EU, are continuing in Brussels with one day to go until a deadline imposed by the two sides.

The leaders of both parties have warned they are unlikely to reach a post-Brexit trade deal by Sunday.

On Friday, Boris Johnson chaired a “stock-take” on the UK’s preparedness for a no-deal scenario.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said four Royal Navy patrol boats are ready to protect UK fishing waters.

The Sunday deadline was set by Mr Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after the pair met in Brussels on Wednesday, after months of talks failed to achieve an agreement.

Mr Johnson said; ”the EU needed to make a “big change” over the main sticking points on fishing rights and business competition rules, while Mrs von der Leyen said no deal was the most probable end to “difficult” talks.”

The EU has rejected Mr Johnson’s request to bypass the European Commission and speak directly to French President Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Angela Merkel about the unresolved issues.

According to EU officials, he was told discussions could only take place through the bloc’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, who is meeting with his UK equivalent in Brussels.

Imposing taxes – tariffs
If a trade deal is not reached and ratified by both sides by 31 December, the UK and EU could impose taxes – tariffs – on each other’s goods.

This could lead to higher prices for some goods, among other changes

A major sticking point in negotiations has been access to UK fishing waters, with the EU warning that without access to UK waters for its fleets, UK fishermen will no longer get special access to EU markets to sell their goods.

The MoD has said it has conducted “extensive planning and preparation” to ensure it is ready for a range of scenarios at the end of the transition period, including having 14,000 personnel on standby to support the government over the winter with the EU transition, as well as with Covid support and other events such as severe weather.

It said; ”four offshore patrol boats will be available to monitor UK waters,” stressing that ”it would have “robust enforcement measures in place to protect the UK’s rights as an independent coastal state”.

An expansion of powers for the Royal Navy Police, enabling officers to potentially board foreign boats and arrest those breaking the law, is one proposal in the MoD’s no-deal contingency planning, a spokesman confirmed.

According to the MoD’s website, ”three River Class patrol ships with a crew of 45 sailors already work at least 275 days a year at sea enforcing British and European fisheries law”.

Report says the government’s contingency assumptions are that a lack of business readiness will lead to queues of thousands of lorries, with Kent – which is home to the Port of Dover, operating an access permit for hauliers.

Mr Johnson chaired a meeting in Downing Street with Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove and senior officials on Friday to take stock of plans for a no-deal scenario, a No 10 official said.

On Friday Mr Johnson said “we’re always hopeful” and added the negotiating team was still in Brussels.

He said if there was no deal, the situation would still be “wonderful for the UK”, as the country could “do exactly what we want from 1 January”, even if this was “different from what we set out to achieve”.

The EU President, Mrs Ursula von der Leyen told reporters that the two sides were still “apart on fundamental issues”.

The EU has set out contingency measures it would take in the event of no trade agreement being reached with the UK.

It says these would ensure UK and EU air and road connections still run after the post-Brexit transition period – under which the UK has continued to follow most of Brussels’ rules – ends on 31 December.

 

 

BBC/Mercy Chukwudiebere

Supreme Court rejects Trump-backed election lawsuit

Mercy Chukwudiebere
-
0

The US Supreme Court has rejected an unprecedented attempt to throw out election results in four battleground states that was backed by President Donald Trump.

The lawsuit, filed this week by the state of Texas, sought to invalidate results in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

President-elect Joe Biden won all four.

The lawsuit was supported by 18 state attorneys general and 106 Republican members of Congress. But in a brief order rejecting the bid, the Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Texas did not have legal standing to bring the case.

The ruling represents a setback for Mr Trump, who has previously suggested without evidence that the result of November’s presidential election would be settled in the Supreme Court.

The court had rejected a separate legal challenge against Mr Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania earlier, this week, dismissing ‘it in a one-sentence ruling.’

Mr Trump has made repeated unsubstantiated assertions that “illegal votes” cost him a second presidential term.

Since the election, Mr Trump and his supporters have launched dozens of lawsuits questioning the results of the election. None have come close to overturning Mr Biden’s victory.

The Democratic candidate defeated Mr Trump by a margin of 306 to 232 votes in the US Electoral College, which chooses the US President. Mr Biden won seven million more votes than the president nationwide.

The Electoral College is expected to meet on Monday to formally elect Mr Biden as the 46th president of the US.

The Supreme Court, as expected by most legal experts, wanted nothing to do with Texas’s challenge to the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The ruling was slightly longer than the one-sentence “motion denied” response in a Pennsylvania case earlier this week. Two of the nine Supreme Court justices, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, said “they wouldn’t have dismissed the lawsuit outright. But even they would not express a view on whether Texas’s attempt to throw out millions of votes and effectively hand the presidency to Mr Trump had merit.’’

The decision paves the way for the members of the Electoral College to meet in state capitals across the US on Monday. At that point, the door to Mr Trump’s legal challenges to the election will slam closed. And while his supporters may try a last-ditch effort to block Mr Biden’s victory in Congress in January, those political manoeuvres are destined to fail. Democrats will make sure of that.

The implications of this challenge, however, are unlikely to quickly fade away. Eighteen states and more than 100 Republicans in Congress endorsed discarding the results of the election and putting the White House in the hands of state legislatures.

That is something Democrats – and the history books – won’t soon forget.

The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday by the Republican Attorney-General of Texas, Ken Paxton – an ally of Mr Trump. It was supported by the president, who on Wednesday filed a motion to intervene and become a plaintiff in the case.

The lawsuit sought to discard the presidential election results in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia, four crucial states won by Mr Biden.

Texas alleged that the results in those states were unlawful because of changes to voting procedures to help Americans cast their ballots during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Paxton’s lawsuit asked the Supreme Court to allow the legislatures of those states – which are all controlled by Republicans – to determine who should get their Electoral College votes. But on Thursday, the four states in a filing asked the justices to reject the lawsuit, which they said had no legal grounds. The Supreme Court agreed.

“Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognisable interest in the manner in which another state conducts its elections,” the court said in its ruling.

Before the ruling, legal experts were sceptical of the lawsuit’s chances of success. But just hours before the ruling, Mr Trump appeared optimistic, urging the Supreme Court to show “great Wisdom and Courage”.

The court failed to do so, Mr Trump later wrote in a tweet bemoaning the verdict.

“There’s no way to say it other than they dodged,” the White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said, referring to the judges.

“They dodged, they hid behind procedure, and they refused to use their authority to enforce the constitution,” McEnany stated.

A spokesman for Mr Biden said “it was “no surprise” the Supreme Court rejected “baseless attempts” to deny Mr Trump lost the election.’’

“Our nation’s highest court saw through this seditious abuse of our electoral process,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat said on Twitter.

Michigan’s Democratic Attorney General, Dana Nessel, said the ruling was “an important reminder that we are a nation of laws, and though some may bend to the desire of a single individual, the courts will not”.

The tone was gloomier among Republicans.

The chairman of the Republican Party in Texas, Allen West, said “the court’s decision would have far-reaching ramifications for the future of our constitutional republic”.

“Perhaps law-abiding states should bond together and form a Union of states that will abide by the constitution,” he said in a statement.

 

 

BBC/Mercy Chukwudiebere

University of Ibadan obtains Commission’s endowment fund

Dominica Ijeoma Nwabufo
-
0

The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), has endowed a professional chair to the University of Ibadan for its excellence in translational research.

The endowed professorial chair is in the fields of engineering, computer science, ICT and the social sciences, targeted at deepening knowledge and producing inventions and innovations that would advance the telecommunications industry.

The development was conveyed in a release issued by the University’s Director of Public Communication, Mr Olatunji Oladejo.

According to Oladejo, the Executive Vice-Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, communicated the NCC decision to the Institution in a letter dated 3 December, 2020, with reference number NCC/RC/UI/020, which was addressed to the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Babatunde Ekanola.

Danbatta, in the letter, said the endowed amount is to the tune of N20milion, with the completion period of two years, with effect from the date of signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The NCC boss said the award is in accordance with the established Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and is made contingent on the University fulfilling certain conditions.

The conditions, he stated, are that the Institution must submit a formal letter of acceptance to the Commission within five days of receipt of the letter, discuss and agree to research questions.

The letter reads, “Note that this endowment is fixed, firm and non-transferable, thus deemed duly terminated by effluxion of time unless otherwise formally reviewed by the Commission; Liaise with the Commission’s Secretary for the execution of the formal MoU; and proceed with the implementation upon signing of the MoU.”

Prof. Danbatta, in the letter, explained that upon agreeing on the research questions, the Commission would pay the sum to the University for a trustee to manage, while also congratulating the University on the endowment.

 

UN Food Security project records successes in Gombe amidst Covid-19 restrictions

Dominica Ijeoma Nwabufo
-
0

The UNDP-Global Environment Facility, GEF Project of building greater community resilience in food production has recorded blessings in Gombe State, despite the twin challenges of the Covid-19 Lockdown and the early cessation of rainfall in the country.

The successes were recorded by the project office in Gombe, during the 2020 review meeting of stakeholders made up of the Project Consultant, Extension workers and officials of the project in Gombe.

Reviewing the year 2020, the Desk Officer of the project, Mr. Maina Jonathan, said despite the challenges of the Covid-19 and its attendant restrictions, the Gombe State Government was the first state among the seven beneficiary states of the UNDP-GEF Project states to release its counterpart funds.

Mr. Jonathan said because of the release of the counterpart funds in the Gombe State, the project had now been scaled up in one more local government area, bringing the number of beneficiary communities to 15.

The project was initially operating in ten communities in Balanga and Kaltungo Local Government Areas, but now the successes of the project is being scaled up in five communities in Akko Local Government area.

The goal of the project is for selected farmers in those communities to be trained on modern farming and the integrated Approach on Fostering Sustainability and Resilience for Food Security in the Savannah Zones of Northern Nigeria. Mr. Jonathan said the year 2020, despite the challenges, did not stop the project from conducting the usual demonstration farms. “This same year, we have given our farmers, especially the female farmers, livelihood support. We have given them goats, which are expected to be replicated to another member. For

instance, if a goat reproduces, after weaning, the young one will be given to another farmer. So, the programme will continue to be expanded in that way,” Mr. Jonathan said.

Some of the other successful activities of the project in the ten initial beneficiary communities in Gombe State cover the distribution of seedlings to the extension workers, who in turn distributed them to the farmers in their communities to combat desertification.

The farmers were also trained on various methods of erosion control, such as terrace farming, farming in sloppy areas and placing of stones or sandbags across sloppy areas and streams to control water erosion.

Despite the effect of the twin challenges of early cessation of rains and the restriction of movement due to the Covid-19 Lockdown, the project said the crops crop yield this year had not been that bad.

It, however, said it was determined to overcome any shocks next year.

According to the Project Consultant, Mr. Silas Lass, the project was sensitising the Extension Agents on how to mitigate such incidences next year, while expecting them to in turn sensitize farmers on how to overcome the 2020 negative effect of the weather on farms, such as the survival of the trees planted for the control of desertification and crop yield.

“Even at this moment, we are giving them some sensitisation activities that they should do in order to prevent some further mortalities, especially now that we are going into the dry season. We are now advising them, we are now sensitising them on some of the activities that they should do in terms of maintaining their tree in the field so that they can survive even the hard times that are coming up during the dry season. Concerning the annual crops, these are the crops that already have their calendars of planting. For those who planted within the framework of the calendar months that requires the moisture, those plants were able to survive. But those who planted them late had to face the consequences of late planting,” said Mr. Lass.

The project works with various groups in the beneficiary communities in order to pass down the knowledge acquired.

However, during the execution of the projects, the extension workers face various difficulties and challenges.

For the Extension Agents, they said that they are ever prepared for the dry season farming, as well as the rainy season farming, especially in avoiding the effects of early cessation of rain the demonstration farms.

Mr. Marktrust Edwards, the Extension Agent of the beneficiary community of Kun’ye in Kaltungo Local Government Area of Gombe State said he had learned a lot from this year’s challenges and hoped to ensure that the negative effects are not repeated next year.

“One of the areas I need to improve on as an agent is the issue of group dynamism. Stronger ties with the groups in order to ensure synergy for productivity in the groups. This year has been challenging, but there are a lot of positives when it comes to restrategizing in order to achieve better yield next year,” Mr. Edward said.

The project established demonstration farms in rice, Soya Beans and Groundnuts, teaching farmers how best to gain maximum yields from small portions of land.

According to the Desk Officer of the project in Gombe State, the team is now prepared for the dry season farming.

 

Yuletide: Governor Makinde beefs up security in Oyo State

Dominica Ijeoma Nwabufo
-
0

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Friday, donated 25 operational vehicles, fully equipped with communication gadgets, to the security agencies in the State in order to beef up security during the yuletide season.

While 10 of the vehicles were donated to the Swift Response Squad (SRS), a unit of the Nigeria Police Force, the remaining 15 were donated to the Operation Burst, a state-backed joint security task force team comprising the military, police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

While donating the vehicles at the frontage of the Presidential Lodge, Government House, Agodi, Ibadan, the Governor reiterated that his administration would continue to prioritise the welfare of security personnel and remain committed to supporting police officers and security personnel serving in the State, as well as members of their families.

Makinde said, “This is a period when, irrespective of what people have been doing from the beginning of the year till now, they still want to have a merry Christmas. Yes, we have had a challenging year, Covid-19 from the beginning of the year, then economic meltdown and #EndSARS protests. We will not say that because of those challenges, we will not continue to do what we are supposed to do.”

The Special Adviser to Governor Makinde on Security, Mr Fatai Owoseni, a retired Commissioner of Police, said security is one of the pillars of the Makinde administration and that the government has been closing the infrastructural gaps in the security sector to make Oyo State safer and secure for all and sundry, adding that the operational vehicles would further strengthen the infrastructure of the two outfits.

Owoseni stated, “Security is one of the pillars of His Excellency’s dynamic administration. And of course, to that end, you have been doing all that is required by closing the infrastructural gaps of the security agencies to make Oyo State safer, secure and investor-friendly. You have always been granting the requests of all the security outfits in Oyo State.”

Similarly, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Joe Enwonwu, appreciated the Governor for being there always for the Oyo State Command of the Nigeria Police Force, pledging the readiness of his officers and men to sustain and embolden the security status of the State and provide a conducive atmosphere for both the local, institutional and foreign investors to thrive in the State.

He said, “We have just come out of Covid-19, #EndSARS protests and the consequent carnage that has devastated the economy of not only the nation but particularly that of Oyo State. And as we are coming out, we are really taken aback that Your Excellency is able to provide additional vehicles to reinforce the security arrangement for Oyo State.”

Enwonwu assured that with the new set of vehicles, the Police would do their level best to reinforce security and make sure that people can confidently come out, do their businesses and sleep with their two eyes closed.

“During the operational tour of the IGP, he spoke to the officers and made it abundantly clear that we should all come out confidently to give the best of security to the people of Oyo State. And we should put behind whatever had happened during the #EndSARS protest that led to the loss of lives. We have actually taken that in our strides,” he noted.

Enwonwu disclosed the Police is presently doing training and retraining in two mobile platforms of MOPOL 4 and MOPOL 72, Ago- Are, with a view to reinforcing and rebuilding confidence in the officers and men of the Oyo State Command.

 

President Buhari in Daura for weeklong private visit

Dominica Ijeoma Nwabufo
-
1

President Muhammadu Buhari is in Daura, Katsina State for a week-long private visit.

The aircraft carrying the President from Abuja landed at 4:45pm on Friday at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina where he was received by the Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, his Deputy, Mannir Yakubu, senior government officials and the heads of security agencies in the state.

Also in Daura to receive President Buhari at the helipad were the Emir, His Highness Alhaji Umar Faruk Umar, leading the members of the Emirate Council and a parade of colourful horse riders and courtiers.

Shortly upon disembarking the helicopter, the President received the gift of a horse and a decorated sword in his capacity as Bayajiddan Daura from the Emir.

While in Daura, President Buhari will carry out a number of private engagements but is expected to participate virtually in the meeting of the Federal Executive Council on Wednesday, to be presided over by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.

The President last visited his hometown in December 2019, having stayed away largely due to the global Covid-19 situation.

 

 

 

Niger State, AGRA invest in agricultural development

Nnenna Okoronkwo
-
0

Niger government in North Central Nigeria is partnering with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and other development partners to invest in the agricultural development of the State.

The Secretary to the State government, Ahmed Ibrahim Matane, who mentioned this during the launch of the State Agriculture policy Document in Minna the state capital, noted that this would serve as a guide for the agricultural sector of the economy.

He said that the state government in conjunction with the development partners will source for a sum of N203.6 billion to be invested in the agriculture sector in the next four years.

Matane who said that the documents were formulated through stakeholder participation, added that the agriculture policy provides a framework that enunciates the guidelines, objectives, structures and standards to achieve the desired agriculture development in the state.

“The key areas targeted by the  NSAIP include,  crops, livestock and fisheries value chains while other products were rice, maize, cassava, sorghum and soybeans, cashews, oil palm, ginger and shea, sesame and cotton,” stated Matane.

The Secretary to the Niger State government, further said that the documents which were worked out to direct the state on the pedestal of accelerated agriculture growth and development,  can also be accessed on the website www.nigeragric.org. for the public to study.

The Niger State Commissioner of Agriculture, Alhaji Haliru Zakari Jikantoro , who applauded the implementation of the policy by the state government, noted that Niger State was the first to formulate have a partnership with NSAIP among the 36 states of Nigeria, including Abuja the Capital City.

Nnenna.O

1...3,3323,3333,334...3,372Page 3,333 of 3,372

HEALTH

ENTERTAINMENT & TOURISM

WORLD

NEWS COMMENTARY

NEWS FEATURE

Voice Of Nigeria Mission is “Reflecting Nigerian and African perspectives in our broadcasts, winning and sustaining the attention, respect and goodwill of listeners worldwide, particularly Nigerians and Africans in the Diaspora … making Nigeria’s voice to be heard more positively in the shaping of our world.”

More from CN

Contact

© Voice of Nigeria Broadcasting Service