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USAID to invest $60m to boost agribusiness in Nigeria

By
Alex Enemanna
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0

The United States Agency for International Development, (USAID) has disclosed plans to invest $60 million to boost agriculture in Nigeria and across West Africa.

Speaking at the launch of the West Africa Trade and Investment Hub in Abuja yesterday, the  United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard,  said the project would improve the overall business operations and enhance capacity to tap into export markets with the U. S and other international companies.

According to her, in five years, the trade hub “will administer $60 million in co-investment funds to attract private sector investment of $300 million in the region.

“The trade hub will increase economic growth across West Africa with more focus on Nigeria through a market-based approach that will help companies to expand business operations and create jobs that build on the talents of the growing youth population.

“Nigeria has opportunities for private sector investment, hence the trade hub will unlock this potential and improve ways of doing business in the agriculture sector as well as facilitate access to private capital.”

She stressed that the project will complement the efforts of the Federal Government by co-investing with established private sector entities and other partners by expanding the program targeting the creation of 40,000 new jobs in Nigeria and West Africa by 2025.

On his part, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator, USAID Africa Bureau, Cheryl Anderson, remarked that the project would empower the private sector to play a more robust role in maximising opportunities for Nigerian and American businesses.

Anderson added that Nigeria, especially among West African nation’s has tremendous potential to mobilise private sector growth as a strategy for sustained economic growth.

“With the help of smallholder farms operating in Nigeria’s heartland, business is already benefitting from partnerships with the U.S ‘feed the future’ initiative to develop value chains and promote more inclusive growth in the agriculture sector,” he said.

He added that USAID, through the hub will introduce and scale-up new cutting edge technologies developed by American companies to increase production and improve harvest and post-harvest processes to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imports of staple crops.

Minister of Trade and Investment, Mariam Katagum, said the project is a welcome development as it is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s mandate of diversification, as it aims at increasing agricultural production as well as profitability for small scale farmers.

“We commend the USAID for prioritising programs that cover micro, small and medium enterprises. We are without doubt that this project will be impactful in creating employment and developing the non-oil sector of the economy,” she said.

Hate Speech Bill: “Nigeria needed the bill to help nip potential crises” – Senator Abdullahi Sabi

By
Alex Enemanna
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0

The sponsor of the controversial Hate Speech Bill, Senator Abdullahi Sabi,   has said the proposed legislation is alive and will continue its journey at the National Assembly.

However, Sabi, who is the Deputy Senate Majority Whip, clarified on Tuesday that the death penalty provision in the bill would be removed.

He said he would propose an amendment to the bill since it would be wrong to jettison the entire bill because of the death penalty.

Sabi argued that Nigeria needed the bill to help nip potential crises in the bud.

The senator spoke with State House Correspondents in Abuja after he joined a delegation of Eminent Citizens of Niger State to meet with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Presidential Villa.

Defending the bill, he said, “Because the baby is dirty, we can’t say the baby should be thrown away with the bathwater.

“The death penalty was the main issue. I will ensure that the death penalty is put away from the bill.

“But Nigeria deserves to have a hate speech bill. There is so much hate speech in Nigeria. “

According to him, if there is no law to regulate hate speech in the country, Nigeria runs the risk of becoming the next Rwanda.

Sabi said there were a  lot of inciting speeches being made in Nigeria capable of igniting religious, ethnic or communal crises.

He added that “80-90 per cent” of crises were “incited through hate speech, be they religious, ethnic or communal crises”.

The lawmaker claimed that after the uproar generated by the bill last year, more Nigerians had come to terms with his position that the bill was relevant.

Sabi expressed hope that in the days ahead, the bill would receive more support to scale passage by the National Assembly.

The bill passed first reading on the floor of the Senate on November 12, 201 amid controversies.

Former DSS DG Heads FG’s Security Institute Board

By
ABN TV EDITOR
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0

The Federal Government on Tuesday inaugurated the eight-man board of the National Institute for Security with a former Director General of the Department of State Services, Afakriya Gadzama, as the chairman.

Other members of the board are Sanusi Galadima, Mrs Amina Shamaki, Mrs Folasade Adekayaoja, S. Aimeyeofori, Maj Gen B.M. Shafa, A.S Adeleke and Nuhu Umar.

While inaugurating the board in Abuja, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said the institute would among other functions be the leading centre for the provision of competence and enhanced training for middle and top-level managers of security in order to advance best practices in conflict prevention, mitigation and resolution.

He said the inauguration of the NIS board could not have come at a better time than now when security had become a major issue for national discourse.

Osinbajo, Sanwo-Olu, others commend Airtel Touching Lives initiative

By
Alex Enemanna
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0

The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim, have lauded Airtel Nigeria for its exceptional CSR efforts at the telco’s Season 5 premiere of its flagship CSR initiative, Airtel Touching Lives.

The grand ceremony, which held in Lagos at Eko Hotel Convention Centre, Victoria Island, was graced by several eminent guests, including award-winning writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.

In his keynote address, Osinbajo commended Airtel for its unswerving efforts in bringing millions of underprivileged Nigerians out of despair and being a beacon of hope through its Touching Lives initiative.

He said, “I really want to laud the effort of Segun Ogunsanya and his team at Airtel for touching so many lives and for doing so in the past five years without fanfare. Listening to the stories of the lives that have been touched must be a reminder of so many others in despair who need our help and comfort.”

Osinbajo went on to expound the Federal Government’s continuous efforts in providing support for more Nigerians in dire need of help by creating social safety nets to the vulnerable, including improved access to healthcare, welfare, housing, among others. He noted that part of the safety net schemes is the feeding of over nine million pupils across 34 states, however, he stated that the efforts still have a long a way to go in providing succour to people in hard-to-reach communities.

“In spite of all these social safety net schemes, we are still very far from touching the majority of those who need our help. We still need more resources because we can’t do it all, and that is why socially conscious organizations like Airtel is so vital in bridging the huge gap between what the government can do and what is left to be done”, he said.

Sanwo-Olu, in his address, regarded Airtel as a partner in progress, praising the telecommunications giant for going out of its way to impact millions of lives over the years through the initiative. He stated that Airtel’s commitment to touching lives continues to complement the state government’s goal of giving a voice to the voiceless.

FG, CBN propose pre-shipment of inspection certificates

By
Alex Enemanna
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0

The Federal Government, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NSC) have hinted on a proposal to introduce pre-shipment inspection and issuance of Clean Certificate of Inspection (CCI) on all mineral commodities due for export.

The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, yesterday, made the disclosure during the presentation ceremony of the ministerial committee from the mineral sector on revenue optimization report.

The move, the committee informed, should be done by an appointed agent in line with the provisions of the Pre-shipment Inspection of Exports Act No. 10 of 1996 Cap. P25 L.F.N. 2004.

Submitting its final report to the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, the committee also urged the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development to strengthen the capacity of Mining Inspector Directorate (MID) by employing more mining engineers for effective monitoring of mineral production operations.

The Committee, headed by the Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Uchechukwu Ogah, advised that the Ministry should engage the services of N-power beneficiaries and NYSC members to assist MID in the monitoring of mineral production activities nationwide.

Responding, Adegbite, said two major mandate of the committee is to create employment and widen the revenue base of government.

The Minister also implored the committee to make improvements in revenue generation compared to the past with a target of N20 billion at the end of 2020.

“So if we are able to fulfill this, we would have scored 50 per cent and that is the pass mark.

“Everybody can see the quantum leap from what we made this year. We made  N5 billion, which is an improvement over the past.

“From 2.8 to 5 point something. Let’s look at the end of this year if we can achieve N20 billion. That would be four times higher than we realised last year. It’s possible. Revenue generated by some Federal Mines Officers (FMO) is not encouraging. Imagine a State like Lagos generating about N30 million a year.

“That is an average of N2.5 million a month and we don’t have an FMO there. A lot of construction work is going on in Lagos. Sand is being used.

So from sand dredging alone, you can’t tell me you are making N2.5 million every month. So it’s either somebody is not doing his work very well or something is wrong somewhere. I’m sure all these have been dealt with in the recommendation of this report,” he said.

Nigeria to export rice in two years – Minister of Agriculture

By
Alex Enemanna
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0

The closure of Nigeria’s land borders has caused an increase in domestic production of rice and the country is set to export the commodity, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, announced on Tuesday.

Nanono said the closure of the land borders had resulted in increased output by many rice milling plants which were operating below capacities before the borders were shut.

The minister, who disclosed this after visiting the Nestle Nigeria Public Limited Company, explained that going by recent successes recorded in rice production across the country, Nigeria’s brand of rice would be set for export in two years.

He said, “Before the closure of our land borders, most of the rice milling plants were partially operating. But now, they not only operate in full capacity but are also expanding.

“If we maintain the momentum, in the next two years, we may export rice to other countries.”

Nanono further revealed that rice producers were warehousing the commodity in order to meet further demands.

“I was worried in terms of the production of rice, but what I have found is that most rice producers have stocked rice for the next six months,” he said.

The minister added, “This means that before the stock is finished, dry season rice will be harvested, and before that finishes, the rainy season will come back.”

According to the minister, rice farmers in Nigeria do not plant the crop between November and January, adding that “we cultivate rice in a nine-month cycle; probably as we move on, the cycle will widen. So we do not have a problem with rice processing.”

Nanono said there had been an expansion of local rice value chain as well as the creation of more jobs due to the increase in the production of the staple.

He said Nigeria currently had 11 rice milling plants with the capacity to produce from 180 to 350 tonnes per day.

“In a few months, another mill with a capacity to produce 400 tonnes of rice per day is going to be opened. There are other upcoming 34 smaller mills and we have clustered in different areas,” the minister stated.

He said local rice farmers were fully engaged

INEC cancels rerun in Akwa Ibom, Cross-River

By
Alex Enemanna
-
0

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the cancellation of some polling units in the rerun conducted in Cross River and Akwa Ibom states over what it described as electoral infractions.

The commission, in a statement by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Festus Okoye, said: “INEC met on Monday and reviewed the conduct of January 25, 2020, court-ordered a rerun in 28 constituencies in 11 states of the federation.

“It noted a marked improvement in compliance with its processes and procedures during the elections. The Commission commends the voters, security agents, the media and election staff for their praiseworthy conduct.

“Regrettably, deviant behaviour by a few persons determined to subvert the people’s will was noticed in a few areas in the course of the elections. These isolated incidents minimally affected the peaceful and orderly exercise in only four of the 28 constituencies where elections were conducted.

“However, consistent with the commission’s resolve to sanction electoral bad behaviour, the commission took the following steps to protect the process:

“In Akwa Ibom State, where the officials of the commission were abducted and diverted to an undesignated location and forced to compromise the elections in Essien Udim Local Government Area, all the polling units involved were identified and their results discountenanced.

“In Abi State Constituency of Cross River State, officials of the commission were abducted and thus prevented from deploying in eight polling units. All officials of the commission that were abducted have been rescued and accounted for.

“In furtherance of its resolve not to accept results from areas where the processes were disrupted and its officials attacked, the commission took a firm action by not accepting results from such areas as it could not vouch for their integrity.

“But the Commission notes that in most cases, these incidents were not widespread and did not significantly affect the overall results. As such, declarations and returns were made,” INEC said in the statement.

Meanwhile, a House of Representatives member, Nsikak Ekong, has thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for not interfering in the rerun in Akwa Ibom State.

Ekong, who was the People’s Democratic Party candidate in the election, commended the president for keeping to his words of not influencing or interfering in the rerun in the state.

“I thank you our dear president for proving that you are indeed a democrat,” Ekong said.

Hate Speech Bill Still Alive – Senator Sabi

By
ABN TV EDITOR
-
0

The sponsor of the controversial Hate Speech Bill, Senator Abdullahi Sabi,   has said the proposed legislation is  alive and will continue its journey at the National Assembly.

However, Sabi, who is the Deputy Senate Majority Whip, clarified on Tuesday  that the death penalty provision in the bill would be removed.

He  said  he would propose an amendment to the bill since it would be wrong to jettison the entire bill because of  the death penalty.

Sabi argued that Nigeria  needed the bill to help nip potential crises in the bud.

The senator spoke with State House Correspondents in Abuja after he joined a delegation of Eminent Citizens of Niger State to meet with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Presidential Villa.

Defending the bill, he said, “Because the baby is dirty, we can’t say the baby should be thrown away with the bathwater.

“The death penalty was the main issue. I will ensure that the death penalty is put away from the bill.

“But Nigeria deserves to have a hate speech bill. There is so much hate speech in Nigeria. “

According to him, if there is no law to regulate hate speech in the country, Nigeria runs the risk of becoming the next Rwanda.

Sabi said  there  were a  lot of inciting speeches being  made in Nigeria capable of igniting religious, ethnic or communal crises.

He added that “80-90 per cent” of crises were “incited through hate speech, be they religious, ethnic or communal crises”.

The lawmaker claimed that after the uproar generated by the bill last year, more Nigerians  had  come to terms with his position that the bill was relevant.

Sabi expressed hope that in the days ahead, the bill would receive more support to scale passage by the National Assembly.

The bill passed first reading on the floor of the Senate on November 12, 2019 amid controversies.

Arsenal complete Pablo Mari signing on loan for the rest of the season

By
Alex Enemanna
-
0

Arsenal have signed Spanish defender Pablo Mari on loan for the rest of the season with an option to buy at the end of the campaign, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old joins from Brazilian side Flamengo, where he helped the Rio de Janeiro-based team win the Brazilian title and the Copa Libertadores last year.

Mari joined Flamengo last July from Manchester City, where he had been since 2016.

“Pablo is an experienced player who will provide us with additional defensive quality,” said Arsenal technical director Edu.

“We have been monitoring Pablo’s career for a while and we are very pleased to have reached an agreement with Flamengo for him to join us initially until the end of our season.”

Mari said: “It’s a massive opportunity for me to come to England, which is the best league in the world right now.

“Being able to play in this league and having the opportunity to play for Arsenal is incredible, so I’m really looking forward to wearing the shirt as soon as possible.”

The deal is subject to the completion of regulatory processes.

PDP demands fresh elections in Imo constituencies where members defected

By
ABN TV EDITOR
-
0

The Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct fresh elections in those constituencies in Imo State where PDP state lawmakers defected to the All Possible Congress.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, during a media briefing in Abuja, also said the defected lawmakers had lost their seats according to Nigeria’s constitution.

He said, “It is settled under the 1999 Constitution (as amended), that a legislator who decamps from a party upon which he was elected a member of a legislative house automatically loses his or her membership of that house as the seat belongs to the political party upon which platform the election was won and not the individual.

“The vacation of the seat, as a direct consequence of decamping to another political party other than the party upon which one was elected to occupy a seat in the legislature, is clear and unambiguous under section 109 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“For the avoidance of doubt, section 109 (1)(g) provides that “a member of the House of Assembly shall vacate his seat in the House if …(g) being a person whose election to the House of Assembly by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected:

“The Constitution went further to state “provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored.”

“Consequent upon the above constitutional provisions, these defectors have vacated their seats, they no longer have a place in the state assembly, as there is no division or merger of any kind in the PDP at any level whatsoever.

“The PDP is therefore left with no other option than to request the INEC to immediately commence the processes for the conduct of fresh elections into the respective state constituencies where the legislators have vacated their seats, in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.”

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