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It was excitement for the market men and women in Itoku and Asero Markets in Abeokuta, the Ogun State Capital, as the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation,Dr Betta Edu announced the readiness of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to support locally produced Adire for local and international Market. She also took time to sensitize the market women on the market monies program and other social safety net programs from the ministry.

According to Rasheed Olanrewaju Zubair, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Honourable Minister, MHAPA, the Minister said federal Government  will invest largely in creating jobs through the local fabrics production chain as one of the many ways to reduce poverty and improve export, that will further boost the economy and revenue for market  men and women.

Edu assured the market women of the government intentions to ensure the fabric became known around the world. While reducing to barest minimum the presence of the imported imposter Adire!

According to  the Minister, government programmes under her supervision will ensure  the  utilization of the opportunities in Adire Markets to lift millions of vulnerable Nigerians out of poverty.

“First, you must be able to push local production to meet the demand. Local production must be enhanced at all costs to meet the demand. When local products saturate the market at a rate subsided and supported by the government, it will automatically eliminate whatever fluntuate coming into the market.

“We don’t want to be selling fake Adire,  made in other countries, and brought into Nigeria. What we want are the local ones made by our people to create jobs, it will build micro and macro economy and it will help Nigeria to be more of a manufacturing economy rather than an import dependent country.
“These are the things that are affecting the exchange rates and other economic indexes in Nigeria. Government will provide that subsidy for the people, so we take the fuel subsidy off the fuel, we will provide it for the Adire makers so that they can provide local Adire that will be used in country and exported out of the country.

“I was so happy yesterday when the governor and his  commissioners said they are going to create hubs in Abuja where the original Adire would be sold. This is taking Abeokuta, Ogun State, to the world, and these hubs can be created even at embassies in other countries around the world where we can export Adire.

“This is the original one, not the fake which is imitated and brought in. For us, if we support the local manufacturers, subsidize this for them, bring more people into this production to meet the demand, it will automatically eliminate the ones that come into the country.

Speaking further, the minister said she and her team interacting with the state government have identified about five interventions that will really touch lives in Ogun State, covering about 100,000 persons in Ogun State. Part of what we identified yesterday was the  ADIRE production, which is really very as typical to Ogun people; it is kind of their identity and what they are known to do very well.

“Adire  has both the local equipment production and modern production. We’ve been to production sites and clusters and also in the market to pick up some of the fabrics and interact with the market people and Iyalojas. All are here with us. We try to find out the cost of the final product and what it  sells for in the market.

“This cloth I am handling is N15,200, we have some the N25,000, N75,000 in the shops. We have come here to see how it is being made locally,from the dying stage, the drying, and all of these stages that finally get to beautiful fabrics that we sell and export, ” She explained. The government will create new adire clusters through our schemes targeted at poverty eradication

By Emmanuel Daudu

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security have commenced discussions on how to deploy existing technical competencies and other resources by the two institutions to improve agro allied-industries development targets, climate change mitigations and smart solar irrigation aimed at dry-season farming.

Olusegun Ayeoyenikan, Director of Information, NASENI, in a press release signed on the 7th of Nov., 2023, disclosed that the trio of the Minister of Agriculture & Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, the Minister of State, Hon. Sabi Aliyu Abdullahi and the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu who held the meeting in Abuja yesterday 6th November, 2023 agreed that the nascent collaboration between NASENI and Agric Ministry was aimed at enhancing the focus and deliverables toward achievement of the Renewed Hope Agenda by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.

The Minister, Senator Abubakar Kyari gave insight to some of the essentials in the 8-Point Renewed Hope Agenda of the government, saying that about six of the eight socio-economic recovery programmes have the starting points in their achievements rooted in the success of the Agricultural sector, his ministry. Therefore, the Minister commended Halilu, EVC of NASENI and his team for having agriculture as one of the Agency’s target areas to work. “I won’t be tired of saying that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given my Ministry the responsibility to carry out one of the important programmes in the 8-point Renewed Hope agenda, which is food security and five others.” he said.

During the visit, Halilu was received not only by Senator Abubakar Kyari and the Minister of State, but all the directors in the Ministry were present at the meeting. Halilu said the Agency was ready to collaborate with the Ministry to boost agriculture and also achieve food security through technology adaptation and transfers.

Addressing the Ministry’s top government functionaries, Halilu explained that NASENI’s technical manpower, technologies and also international partners were ready to work in ensuring that Nigeria becomes self-sufficient in food production, food processing and exports. Part of the efforts in actualizing this goal, he disclosed, is the on-going NASENI Scheme to refurbish about 50,000 broken tractors across the country under the presidential initiative, aimed at bringing back the culture of large cultivation of lands for farming.

According to him, the management of NASENI has secured both local and international technical partners to work with the Agency to mass-produce Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for spraying of insecticides over vast farm locations, sustain afforestation, introduce solar-powered water irrigation to increase wet and dry season farming yields, cold chain food processing and agro-allied value chain additions for preservation and processing of foods in commercial quantities and exports.

Halilu said the collaboration plans with Agric Ministry includes crop traceability, rice straw project, mitigation of climate change through scientific and technological researches or innovations by NASENI to increase food production, value addition and ensue Nigeria’s dependence on food imports reduce significantly.

“We are embarking on development activities in agriculture from production to commercialization.  The key thing is how we can add value to our farm produce or raw materials before they are consumed or before exporting them out of our country. Also, as for foreign technologies brought into our country, we are seeking the cooperation and collaboration of the Ministry to transfer, domesticate and commercialize such technologies. In a nutshell, this is why we are here” Halilu stated.

The EVC said since assuming office, he has been receiving a lot of requests in terms of how NASENI could add value around agriculture from production all the way to the market. He disclosed that a recent outing by the Agency at the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Forum in China attracted about $6 billion dollars’ investment and about 40 per cent of the monies will be channeled to agriculture.

As his remark on the significance of the meeting, the Minister of State expressed appreciation of the visit by NASENI’s EVC and his team, describing the move as progressive and patriotic. He said the time to put an end to inter-ministerial competition and rivalry is now, rather, synergy and collaboration amongst government institutions should become the new culture and orientation.

He underscored the earlier statement by Senator Kyari that one of the Federal Government’s current priorities is food security. Therefore, he called for alignments with the Agric Ministry’s focus not only by NASENI but other Agencies with related functions in order to actualize the Government’s intentions to alleviate poverty, create jobs and tackle all other socio-economic ills in Nigeria society.

The Nigerian Youth Congress (NYC), Kogi State chapter has passed vote of confidence on the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission INEC Prof. Mahmood Yakubu for the adequate preparation and execution of plans toward the off-circle governorship elections in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo states.

The state Chairman of NYC Comrade Alfa Ebune stated this on Wednesday at a press conference held in Lokoja ahead of Saturday governorship election in Kogi state and other two states.

Ebune said that the vote of confidence passed on the INEC and the Honourable Chairman of the commission Prof. Mahmood Yakubu was borne out of unbiased observation made by the youth group on the preparation of the commission toward the off-season elections in the three states.

He said “INEC Chairman has done creditably well in the preparation and execution of plans toward the conduct of the governorship elections in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo states.

“This off-season elections
“NYC whole-heartedly commended the commission because if this trend of performance is being sustained and improved upon Nigeria will be great and it will be a country of our dreams”.

The youth group who also lauded the effort of the security agencies especially the military, said they have done much in ensuring that there is adequate security of life and property in the forthcoming election.

“The Police and the DSS have also tried their best so far and we hope that they will hold on to this effort till the end of the election expected to be peaceful and devoid of violence.

“This election , we observed that INEC and the security agencies are determine to write their names in gold by righting the wrong of the past in the electoral process of this nation” he stated.

The NYC state Chairman used the occasion to appealed to the INEC staff deployed from other states to Kogi for the conduct of election not to allow themselves to be used by dubious politicians who are willing to win election at all cost, saying such act would not only tarnish the good image of the commission but it would rubbish the trust the people have for the commission.

“They should uphold the virtue of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is determine to give a robust electoral system to the nation devoid of malpractices and other ills associated with Nigeria election.

“This election the international communities are watching us and they will use it to measure the level of transparency in the Nigeria electoral system. INEC should ensure that voting materials reaches the hard to reach zones across Kogi state” he advised.

By Emmanuel Daudu

The National Coordinator/CEO of the National Social Investment Programmes Agency (NSIPA), Hajiya Halima Shehu, has on Tuesday stated that she will work hard to justify her appointment by President Bola Ahmed to ensuring that the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda is to its brim achieved.

Addressing journalists  in Abuja, shortly after her assumption of office, Shehu said her work experience in the ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in the last four years has availed her the opportunity to interface with the needy across the country.

She said: “As we all know, the NSIP programmes have now been running in the country since 2016 across the country but it’s yet to completely alleviate poverty out of the country. First, because the population of poor/vulnerable is twice higher than the average population of Nigerians who can afford the basic human needs and not up to 30% of the population have been empowered.

“Poverty as we all know, engenders crime in any society, the more the people are uplifted out of poverty the lesser the crime rate in any society. As we all know, the programmes have witnessed so many criticisms in the country for lack of transparency, accountability, free and fair selection of beneficiaries, realistic data base and publicity amongst others.

“We hope to do better in this aspect especially now that the programmes are governed by an act which is a legal framework that clearly states the function of the Agency, the CEO and stakeholders.

“Again, I will say I am certain that Mr President has recognized our leadership qualities and that’s why he has assigned us such a huge task upon us therefore we have to be focused, committed, dedicated and passionate in carrying out this sensitive assignment of poverty alleviation, which is one of the biggest promise In his Renewed Hope mandate.

“But this cannot be achieved without a great team and collaboration from all stakeholders both home and abroad which includes National/International Development partners amongst others. My working experience in this ministry in the last 4 years has availed me the opportunity to interface with the needy across the country and I have personally witnessed life changing situations on this programmes to the beneficiaries.

“We have taken a lot of risk in carrying out this humanitarian services sometimes when we get to riverine areas we get into a boat or a helicopter to get to this beneficiaries. So, I know exactly the scope of work at NSIPA and the huge task ahead of us to be accomplished in limited timeline.

“I have confidence that with full support by the Ministry, NSIPA would make the ‘ Renewed Hope Mantra of President Bola Tinubu ‘s administration a practical reality among vulnerable Nigerians.”

The Youth Empowerment and Social Support Operations (YESSO 2.0) has expressed its readiness to partner with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in an efforts to take thousands of vulnerable youths out of poverty bracket in Nigeria.

According to Jamaluddeen Kabir,
National Communications Manager
National Social Investment Programmes Agency, in a press release signed on
06/11/2023, disclosed that the National Programme Manager of YESSO 2.0, Comrade Richard Romanus disclosed this when he led a delegation to the NDE National office in Abuja.

Comrade Romanus noted that the visit was to seek support and collaboration from stakeholders to help in achieving set goals for the commencement of YESSO 2.0 programme.

The programme manager said, his team was ready to partner with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), with a view to enhancing employment opportunities for thousands of Nigerian Youths in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Removing more Nigerian youths from the shackle of poverty according to Romanus is achievable under the supervision of Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

“We have identified NDE as a major player in the success of YESSO 1.0, hence, we are here to seek the same support to make YESSO 2.0 even bigger and more successful. We have quite a number of programmes lined up for implementation that will enable the teeming youth population to become gainfully empowered and maximize their entrepreneurial potential.

The National Programme Manager noted that most youths were unemployed not because there was no job to do “but because they did not have the required and marketable skills that would grant them employment.

“YESSO is about training on skills for jobs, so we will partner with NDE to train these thousand of youths on marketable skills that will make them self-employed, to be self-reliant, and to even have access to start-up funds where possible. He stated”

In his response, the Director General of NDE represented by the Director, Vocational Skills Development, Mr. Issah Abdu stated their readiness to collaborate with any group or organisation on how unemployed youths in the country can be taken out of poverty index.

The Director General congratulated the new YESSO National manager and his team on their appointment, saying youth empowerment must be administered by the youths themselves.

He disclosed that the NDE had collaborated with the World Bank in the implementation of the YESSO 1.0 Programme,assuring that NDE will partner different programmes of YESSO 2.0 to ensure its success.

“With youth empowerment , positive engagement of the active population, engagement of idle minds, social tension and insecurity will reduce in the country”

He further disclosed that the NDE has 96 vocational skills acquisition centres across the country, including Agricultural centres and Mobil Training Workshop booths in rural areas.

Highlight of the meeting includes technical session and discussions on possible area of partnership.

The crisis rocking NUPENG leadership has taken another dimension

The crisis started when the NUPENG general secretary and some handful of executive decided to usurp the PTD election by hand picking some of their surrogates as National Chairman and executive of the branch

This development angered some of the executives of NUPENG and other stakeholders of NUPENG who frowned at the high level of highhandedness and abuse of power by the general SecretaryNUPENG afolabi olawale

Who singlehandedly midwives the election in Ibadan at the detriment of other contestants who wanted the election conducted in Abuja without imposition of candidates.

Petrol tanker drivers proceeded to Abuja and held their own election in Abuja and produced lucky osusan as national chairman.

This ugly development has stirred uneasiness in NUPENG, leading to some affiliates of the union threatening to pull out the Union if the general secretary, who is an employee of the vacate his position

NUPENG, one of the main affiliates of NLC, is nose diving into crisis as one of the elders of union stated.

Elders of the union are planning to intervene to save and bring it back to the way it was before the election

The president of the union is undecided on the affairs since he doesn’t have a mind of his own and can not reverse the position of the general secretary.

The National secretrate of PTD is under lock and key at the time of filing this report. Mr olu adesanya said that the factions engage themselves in a supremacy battle as the afolabi faction tried to force themselves into the national secretrate of the union . He also accused afolabi as using ptd as a cash cow .

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the election of Hon. Joshua Audu Gana of the People Democratic Party (PDP) for the Lavun/Mokwa/Edati Federal Constituency, Niger State (2023-2027).

According to Hon.(Dr) Joshua Audu Gana, member Lavun/Mokwa/Edati Federal Constituency, Niger State (2023-2027), responding to the historical judgement, Hon Gana said: “My dear Constituents on Wednesday, 1st November 2023, the Court of Appeal Abuja delivered a historic ruling on Appeal CA/ABJ/EP/HR/59/2023 where the Judges unanimously affirmed the mandate you freely gave me on February 25, 2023 election as the duly and rightful winner of that election.”

It could be recalled that that the National and State House of Assembly Election Tribunal on September, 11th 2023 nullified Gana’s election and of which Hon. Gana appealed that judgement at the appellate Court.

“The affirmation by the Court of Appeal truly brings to rest the contest for our Federal Constituency,” he said.

The Court of Appeal on Wednesday, a three-man member unanimously upheld the argument by the lawyer of Gana, that the Tribunal was wrong to have held in favour of the petition, Abdullahi Usman Gbatamagi and the All Progressive Party (APC).

Describing the judgement, Gana said: “Our victory at the Court, which is a clear reflection of what happened on Election day reinforces the principle that the judiciary is the final hope for the common man and democracy.”

Still speaking on the judgment, he said that when the Election Petition Tribunal ruled against him on September, 11th 2023, he was sure that it would not stand, “I was optimistic that the tribunal had erred and that travesty of justice was not going to stand and today, their Lords at the Court of Appeal agreed with us that we won the elections,” he said.

He promised all inclusive representative saying, “We will not take the electorate for granted. We see the judgement as an opportunity to serve our people as a means of deepening the democratic culture and all hands must be on the deck in serving our people,” he promised.

To his constituents, he made more promises to them saying, “I wish to assure you my good constituents that I am more than ever ready to serve and will be more focused and consistent in drawing attention to issues affecting our constituency and follow through until solutions and  resolutions are found.”

He called on his APC counterpart not to see the judgement as a blow, but to join hands with him in bringing development to their constituents. “I urge my brother and friend Hon. Abdullahi Usman to see the outcome as a true expression of the people’s will and God’s doing and give all the support that is required for the good of our people as we shall be magnanimous even in victory,” he said.