Author: Isah Mukhtar

NAN-DS-3
Accident
Lokoja, Nov. 30, 2017 (NAN) Three officials of the Kogi Vigilante Service have lost their lives in a motor accident on Okene-Lokoj road.

The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state, Mr Segun Martins, told journalists in Lokoja on Thursday.

He said the men died on the spot at Osara village on the road, adding that the accident happened on Nov.29.

The sector commander said the accident happened when the Ford Ranger the officials were travelling had head collision with an oncoming truck with registration number Borno DKA 377 YN.

Martins said that six other persons were seriously injured in the crash.

He said that the corpses had been deposited at the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja where the injured were also taken for treatment.

Meanwhile, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mrs Petra Akinti –Onyegbule, in a statement, identified the dead officials as Messrs Tunji Ayorinde, Ajiboye Michael and Olumuyiwa Samuel.

She said all the victims hailed from Ogori /Magongo Local Government Area of the state.

Akinti –Onyegbule, quoted Gov. Yahaya Bello as expressing shock over the death of the three officials.

“The governor is deeply saddened by the loss that the families of the demise patriots and the entire people of Ogori/Magongo have encountered.

‘’He offers his deep condolences at the loss of three promising gallant personnel at this crucial time,” she said.

Bello promised support for the survivors of the crash and wishes them quick recovery.

Martins also told newsmen that two people lost their lives in another auto crash on the same day on the road.

He said the dead were a boy and a woman, adding that they died when a truck crushed the tricycle they were traveling in.

He said the two corpses had been released to their relations for burial  while the other two injured were taken to the Federal Medical Centre for treatment. (NAN)
KKA/ENN/DUA

Edited by Edwin Nwachukwu/Dada Ahmed

NAN-H-52

Renunciation

By Adepote Arowojobe

Lagos, Nov. 29, 2017 (NAN) No fewer than 120 youths on Wednesday renounced membership of different cult groups and surrendered their weapons on Wednesday at Imota in Ikorodu area of Lagos State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the renunciation by the cultists followed recent violent clash between rival cult gangs which claimed three lives in the area.
Addressing the repented cultists, Lagos State Commissioner of Police (CP), Imohimi Edgar said that their voluntary renuncement would be accompanied by vocational training to enable them acquire new skills.

“When I assumed duty as Commissioner of Police in Lagos, I discovered that cultism and drug abuse are the most challenging crimes.

“The important thing is that the process whereby youths are now willingly renouncing cultism to take up vocational skills have started.

“The vocational job is to be instituted by the council chairman, the lawmaker and other stakeholders in Imota.

“We want a 24-hours economic and nightlife in Lagos,” Edgar said.

He said that the police would obtain data of all the repented cultists so as to monitor their activities for the safety of lives and property in the area.

The CP urged community leaders to partner with the police and other security agencies to sensitise other cultists to renounce their membership and surrender their arms.

The paramount ruler of Imota, Oba Ajibade Agoro, urged youths in the community to renounce cultism and embrace peace, adding that without peace there can not be development.

The monarch said that he would use traditional ancestral means to make the repented cultists swear an oath not to return to cultism.

“People can not be living in fear and contribute immesely to the development of the community,” said the royal father.

Mr Nurudeen Solaja, the lawmaker representing Ikorodu 2 Constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly, said that the renouncement was a welcome development.

Solaja said he would join hands with other atakeholders to ensure that the repented cultists were re-integrated back into the community.

“We will train those cultists who willingly renounced their membership to become better individuals.

“Most of these cultists are artisans who don’t have an idea of how or what cultism is all about; we want to make sure that peace returns to Imota community which is my constituency,” Solaja said.

Prince Wasiu Agoro, Chairman, Imota Local Council Development Area (LCDA), said that the council would continue to sensitise the community on the need to maintain peace for development of the area.(NAN)

ADEX/WOJ
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(Edited by Wale Ojetimi)

NAN -H-51

Innovation

Lagos, Nov. 29, 2017 (NAN) Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Ikorodu, on Wednesday said it would start producing portable water for people of the area at its new treatment plant early next year.

Mr Zacchius Apotiola, Dean, School of Transport disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the side line of a news briefing on the 4th International Conference on Science and Technology being organised by the institution.

The theme of the three-day conference starting on Monday is : Innovation for Sustainable Development : The Technology Challenges.

Apotiola said equipment for the water treatment plant, which was funded by the Education Trust Fund (ETF), had been supplied.

“All the plants and equipment for the production of the water have been supplied, what we are only waiting for is the installation for us to kick-start , ” he said.

The Dean said that the conference would bring research institutes, academics, students and government agencies together on a roundtable to discuss the way forward for technology and national development.

Apotiola said the conference would also serve as an avenue to discuss solutions to the economic problem currently confronting the country.

According to him, a weeklong exhibition to showcase talents and innovations in the institution have been scheduled to hold on the side linee of the conference.

Among speakers expected at the conference were Mr Obafela Bank-Olemoh, Special Adviser to Gov. akineunmi Ambode on Education, Prof. Lateef Oladimeji , Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB) and Dr Wasiu Babalola, Chief Executive, Africa Continental Hotel and Resort , Turkey.

A communiqué is expected at the end of the conference. (NAN)
RUKY/WOJ
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(Edited by Wale Ojetimi)

NAN-AE-6
Farmers
By Kudirat Musa
Abuja, Nov. 29, 2017 (NAN) The Competitive African Rice Initiative (CARI) has started training agricultural desk officers in the bank sector to boost their capacity to support rice farmers with loans with low interest rates.

Dr Andrew Efisue, the Country Operations Manager of CARI, made this known in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said that the training on Agricultural Value Chain Finance (VCF) in Nigeria was organised in Abuja by CARI for financial institutions.

“The VCF tool was developed three years ago with the specific purpose of training bankers on agricultural financing because we realised that in many cases, bankers do not understand farmers and farming.

“ The tool was developed to increase the capacity of bankers so that they can feel more comfortable in creating the right framework to support farmers through lending to them.

“The objective is to convince these bankers and after the training, they will be more favourably disposed towards lending to farmers, contrary with what has been the case in the past.

“We have encouraging reports from our previous training and we always want the participants to be able to go back to their perspective banks and convince their management that there is need to support farmers,’’ he said.

Efisue said that CARI would look at the different interest rates and what was prevailing in the market, with a view to discussing the pros and cons of several approaches before choosing the preferable and sustainable one for farmers.

Mr Ekundayo Mejebi, Consultant to CARI, said that the training would improve the knowledge of the participants on value chain financing, services and business models for sustainable and commercially viable agricultural ventures.

“The participants will be able to understand value chains as economic, technical and institutional systems with a broad range of actors, their relations and the role of agricultural enterprises in this context.

“They will also understand the management principles of agriculture as a business with a focus on primary producers, their characteristics and objectives.

“The training will also help them understand the CARI interventions and results regarding the performance of smallholders and management finance partners.

“It will also help the participants to know the challenges and success factors for developing and supplying financial services to smallholder farmers as well as small and medium enterprises within the scope of CARI,’’ he said.

Also speaking, Mr Adeniyi Kazeem, Value Chain Advisor to CARI, said that CARI had achieved a lot in efforts to improve the productivity of farmers and quality of rice production in Nigeria.

“Our workshop for financial institutions has also improved the access of all value chain actors to financial services

“We have increased efficiency of local rice farmers; we have improved rice processing and marketing via structured value chain linkages, improved technology and processing management.

“We have provided an enabling environment at national and regional levels, including policy framework and strengthening of rice sector initiatives,’’ he said.

NAN recalls that CARI organised a breakfast meeting for financiers working in the agricultural sector last week, as part of strategies aimed at improving funding for smallholder rice farmers across the country. (NAN)
ROK/OOK
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NAN-H-12

Health

By Oluwakemi Oladipo

Lagos, Nov.29, 2017 (NAN) The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, on Wednesday called for teamwork among health professionals to enable them provide qualitative healthcare services.

Idris made the call at the Annual General Meeting of Lagos State Medical Guild with the theme: “Restoring Order and Balance in Hierarchy in the Health Sector,” in Lagos.

He said that failure in inter-professional teamwork and communication had led to compromised patient care, staff distress, tension and inefficiency.

According to the commissioner, physicians are team leaders who coordinate the work of a dozen or more caregivers.

“To me, there is no doubt that physicians are the clinical leaders of the healthcare organisations.

“However such leadership role must engender true professionalism and ethics, appropriate knowledge base and team spirit.

“In other words, modern healthcare is delivered by teams rather than individuals and requires the co-operation of healthcare professionals from multiple disciplines,” Idris said.

He said that health care system in Nigeria had been severally described as weak, largely uncoordinated and fragmented due to under-investment, inadequate infrastructure, management and remuneration.

Also speaking, Dr Saliu Oseni, Chairman, Lagos State Medical Guild, said that it was important to correct the distorted hierarchy in the health sector.

Oseni frowned at the wrong impression being created by some groups in the health sector of the existence of professional autonomy in the hospital setting.
“The medical and dental practitioners had remained the leader of the medical team in the health sector.

“However recent misnomer of wanting to alter this hierarchy had created an imbalance in the health sector which intent is essentially for financial gain.

“It also subsequently misled the patient and populace into having the impression that everybody in the hospital premises can administer treatment on them.

“This had in many ways contributed to quackery both within and outside public health facilities,” he said.

Oseni said it was very important to seek alternative means of health sector financing which had remained a burden on the government.

“It is very clear that we have the expertise both at home and abroad, but the equipment and enabling environment has remained difficult,” he said.(NAN)

OKG/WOJ
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(Edited by Wale Ojetimi)

NAN-HE-4

Factory

By Olayinka Owolewa

Ilorin, Nov. 29, 2017 (NAN) Mr Ayo Olajiga, Chief Executive Officer, FoodPro Nigeria Ltd, a cashew processing company in Ilorin has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration as investors’ friendly.

Olajiga said this on Wednesday in Ilorin in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said he received huge support from the Bank of Industry (BOI), adding that the development was indicative of the Federal Government’s commitment to helping viable companies in the country to grow.

He said the fact that the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, came to inaugurate the extension of the factory, recently, was a testimony that ‘’this administration encourages the private sector.’’

He said the company had employed over 400 people in its operations as part of its contributions to reduce unemployment in the country.

“Through domestic processing of raw cashew nuts, we have created more than 400 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs for farmers, vendors, suppliers and artisans.

‘’They form the heartbeat of FoodPro’s value chain.

“With 90 per cent of FoodPro’s employees being women, we are humbled by the role we play in impacting communities and improving economic and social development conditions in our host community.” Olajiga said.

The chief executive officer said the company had been in operation since 2013 but recently ramped up its capacity from 1,000 to 5,000 tonnes of raw cashew nuts per annum.

According to him, the effort made the copnay the largest locally owned cashew processing company in Nigeria.

Olajiga also said that FoodPro factory was the only factory certified by the African Cashew Alliance for Food Safety and Quality.

He said the company’s plan was to double its operating capacity further to 10,000 tonnes, commence export of packaged and branded goods.

The goods he said include existing brands – Lion Cashew & Go Nutz as well as a range of additional products that currently in their development phase.

He said the choice of Kwara for the establishment of the company was also due to the state government’s business friendly policies and the proximity of Ilorin to source of its raw materials.

He commended BOI for its support to the company and the Kwara government. (NAN)

OOH/DUA

Edited by Dada Ahmed

NAN – H – 33

Safety

Lokoja, Nov. 28, 2017 ( NAN) Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, the Corp Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has appealed to Nigerians to be part of efforts to rid the nation’s highways of carnage.

Oyeyemi made the the plea on Tuesday in Lokoja at the opening of the 2017 sectoral workshop of the Kogi State Special Marshal Unit.

He said that there was urgent need for the civil society , corporate bodies and individuals to show more concern for safety on the roads.

Boost, who was represented at the event by the the state Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr Segun Martins also appealed to motorists to avoid speeding , overloading and observe other safety rules to reduce crashes.

He said that theme of the workshop which is “ Life is a right and not a privilege “ was appropriate, calling on passengers to report any erring driver to the nearest FRSC office for necessary action.

The Secretary to the Kogi State Government, Mrs Folashade Ayoade in her speech commended the special marshals for the good job they have been doing in the state but pleaded with them to put in more efforts.

She decried the high rate of crash on Okene -Lokoja – Abuja road , urging the FRSC to arrest the situation.

Ashade, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Special duty, Mr Chris Ali , urged the FRSC to continue to enforce the use of seat belt and other safety rules to reduce crashes on the roads.

The Chairman , Special Marshal Unit, Kogi State, Mr Henry Adeyemi, earlier in his welcome remarks charged the leadership of the FRSC on the need to provide his members kits and means of identification.

He said that efforts were on to extend the services of the unit to other major towns in the state and appealed to motorists to drive with caution this ember months period.

Highlight of the event was the decoration of a former Speaker of the state house of assembly, Mr Umar Ahmed Imam, the Administrator of Lokoja Local Government, Mr Shiru Lawal and the Anglican Bishop of Ijumu Diocese, Dr Ezekiel Ikupolati as Special marshals. ( NAN)
KKA/MTM
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Edited by Tukur Muntari.

Pakistan begins importation of Nigeria’s liquefied natural gas

NAN-HE-11
Gas
By Biola Lawal

Abuja, Nov. 28, 2017 (NAN) Pakistan has begun the importation of Nigeria’s Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as part of efforts to deepen the economic relationship between the two nations.

Pakistan Head of Chancery, Asim Khan, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja that the first consignment of 70,000 metric tonnes of the gas had arrived at Pakistan’s Port Qasim in Karachi.

Khan said that the importation marked the beginning of a major business expansion between Nigeria and Pakistan in the oil and gas sector, adding “in the future, we are expecting much trade in this as well as in other sectors’’.

The diplomat told NAN that Pakistan utilised gas heavily for both domestic and generation purposes.

NAN learnt that prior to the commencement of gas importation from Nigeria, Pakistan was importing from Qatar to meet its domestic gas needs.

As the relationship between Nigeria and Pakistan waxes stronger, that country also recently opened scholarship offer for about 50 Nigerians for undergraduate studies in science related courses at some of its higher institutions.

It also announced plans to stage an agricultural equipment and machinery exhibition in Nigeria, to make its technological achievements in agriculture available to Nigerian farmers.

Agricultural machinery expected to be exhibited would include rugged tractors and other equipment that could boost small and medium enterprises growth in Nigeria’s agricultural sector.

Khan had said that Pakistan was determined to assist Nigeria’s efforts for self-sufficiency in food production, adding that the exhibition would be a channel to make durable and efficient farming equipment available to Nigerians at reasonable costs.

The envoy said that the upcoming made-in-Pakistan agriculture exhibition was one of the strategies to assist Nigerian farmers boost their yields (NAN)
BL/IA

NAN-AE-4
Agriculture
By Kudirat Musa
Abuja, Nov. 27, 2017 (NAN) The Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, on Monday urged officers and men of the Nigerian Army to join other Nigerians and invest in agriculture.

Ogbeh spoke at a sensitisation programme organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) for the Nigerian Army in Abuja.

“We are here to sentisise army officers and create awareness for them to see agriculture as a business and to strengthen the resolve of those in crops, aquaculture and animal husbandry.

“Food security is an integral part of national security; that is why the army, whose mandate is to provide national security, cannot afford to avoid attending to food security.

“Active participation of the army can never be seen as an incursion into an unfamiliar ground but a step in the direction that agrees in principle with one of its core mandate, which is ensuring peace.’’

Ogbeh, who was represented by Mrs Winifred Ochinyabo, his Special Adviser on Special projects and General Duties, said the strength of a nation lay in its ability to feed itself.

She noted that because security personnel were trained combatants and not business people, they were usually vulnerable in retirement.

He said the ministry was determined to enlighten servicemen on the opportunities in agriculture with a view to broadening their knowledge on agribusiness.

Mr Matthew Owolabi, the Director, Irrigation and Crops Development in the ministry, said the sensitization would strengthen them to choose any aspect of agriculture of their interest.

Earlier, the Chief of the Army staff, Lt.- Gen. Tukur Buratai, who was represented by Maj.-Gen. I.R. Nicholas, Chief of Linguistics, said the sensitization would encourage them to fall back to agriculture.

“We will retire to agriculture and we will also contribute to the need of the nation, family and also provide raw materials to the manufacturing companies,” Nicholas said.(NAN)
ROK/AOM/NKO
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Edited by Abdullahi Mohammed/Nkechi Okoronkwo

NAN-AE-3
Exhibition
By Biola Lawal
Abuja,
Nov. 27, 2017 (NAN) Pakistan has announced plans to stage an agricultural equipment and machinery exhibition in Nigeria to make its technological achievements in agriculture available to Nigerian farmers.

Asim Khan, Head of Chancery of the Pakistan High Commission, said that the proposed exhibition “is a fallout of the recent 6th D8 Ministerial meeting on industrial cooperation’’ where participants emphasised the need for exchange of technology, to boost agricultural production in member states.

The diplomat explained that made-in-Pakistan agricultural machinery to be exhibited would include rugged tractors and other equipment that could boost small and medium enterprises growth in Nigeria’s agricultural sector.

Khan said that Pakistan was determined to assist Nigeria’s efforts for self-sufficiency in food production.

He added that the country’s agriculture equipment show would also be a channel to make durable and efficient farming equipment available to Nigerians at reasonable costs.

He disclosed that Pakistani Minister for Industries and Production, Ghulam Jatoi who attended the D8 meeting in Abuja, also held talks with the Minister of State for Investment, Trade and industries, Mrs Aisha Abubakar, on ways to further strengthen relations between the two nations.

“They agreed on mutual cooperation in industrial development, with Pakistan particularly reiterating its commitment to assist Nigeria’s agricultural sector,’’ Khan said.

The envoy said that the upcoming made-in-Pakistan agriculture exhibition was one of the strategies to assist Nigerian farmers boost their yields. (NAN)
BL/MO/IA
Edited by Idris Abdulrahman