Author: Isah Mukhtar

By Shehu Danjuma

NAN-H-39

Assault

Kankara (Katsina), Nov. 21, 2017 (NAN) A-30-year old farmer, Habibu Mati, on Tuesday, appeared before a Senior Magistrates’ Court in Kankara, Katsina State for allegedly assaulting one Mansir Sani , who sustained a head injury.

“Mati allegedly attacked Sani, while attempting to cover the private part of his mother (name withheld), who had been stripped naked by the accused.

The accused, who resides in Danburtai near Kankara, appeared before a Senior Magistrate, Mannir Shehu, on a one-count charge of causing grievous hurt on the complainant.

Mr Ibrahim Ratuhkka, counsel to the complainant, told the court that the accused on October 7, attacked his client at about 7:00 p.m. in their village.

He said that the accused had earlier attacked the complainant’s mother for suspicion of theft of maize belonging to his neighbour, one Mallam Ibrahim Musa.

“The accused has stripped the complainant’s mother naked and tied her to a Solar Powered street light, where the villagers watched her nakedness.

“The complainant used his shirt to cover his mother’s nakedness but the accused used a big stick to hit him on the head, following which he became unconscious,” he said.

The counsel urged the court to transfer the case to the police for proper investigation.

However, the accused pleaded not quality to the charge while his counsel, Ibrahim Abdullahi, prayed the court to grant his client bail.

According to Abdullahi, the offence is bailable, as he is presently presumed innocent.

The judge, Mr Mannir Shehu, rejected the bail application of the counsel to the accused, saying that it was premature for the counsel to apply for bail.

Shehu ordered the accused to be taken to the police station for proper investigation, adding that when the police completed investigations, the accused should be sent back to court for trial. (NAN)

SUD/DS/YEMI

Edited by Dauda Shehu/Yemi Idris-Aduloju

NAN-AE-7

Commendation

By Kudirat Musa

Jalingo, Nov. 21, 2017 (NAN) The Taraba Government on Tuesday lauded the World Bank for the implementation of its North-East Food Security and Livelihood Emergency Support Project and called for more of its intervention across the state.

The support project was executed under Fadama III Second Additional Financing (AFII).

The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr David Ishaya, gave the commendation in a goodwill message during the bank’s presentation of its mission report in Jalingo.

Ishaya, represented by FADAMA III Project Coordinator, Mrs Regina Festus, said that the project made tremendous impact in the state.

“The 67 communities with 2,680 households have access to food assistance and agricultural livelihood support in the areas of crops, livestock and fishery.

“The beneficiaries were given advisory services and capacity building training in sustainable development and restoration of the agricultural production activities.

“We carried the host community along by giving them these support which has solved a lot of problems and made the IDPs to be more comfortable within the community that hosted them,’’ he said.

He said that Taraba state was an outlet for all the Internal Display Persons (IDPs) and noted that the number of the IDPs in the state was more than what it could accommodate.

He said: “Most of them are from Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Benue and Nassarawa but with the help of Fadama III AFII project, they feel at home in our state.

“Even, most of the returnees are complementing Fadama intervention because they have lost hope and are devastated.

“They do not know how to start all over again because they thought nobody will ever remember them. The Fadama intervention now makes them believe that government did not forget them.

He, however, urged the World Bank and the Federal Government to initiate more programmes for the residents.

Dr Ben Herbert, an agribusiness specialist in the National FADAMA Coordination Office who led the mission team also commended the State Government for its support.

“I say well done to the state government for the successful implementation of the FADAMA III (AF11) intervention project which started a year ago in the state.

“We are here to ascertain what you have done in the last one year and plan ahead for the betterment of the project.

“One of the objectives of this mission is to assess the level of implementation of FADAMA III (AFII) project in states.

“It also undertakes field visits to verify the execution of the approved Community Action Plans (CAPs) and provide technical guidance where necessary,’’ he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that FADAMA III AF11is being implemented in Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Taraba, Gombe and Yobe states. (NAN)

ROK/ AOM/EMO
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Edited by Abdullahi Mohammed/Ejike Obeta

US-based group congratulates Obiano

NAN-H-9
Election
By Adeleye Adeyemi
Lagos, Nov. 21, 2017 (NAN) Dr Acho Orabuchi, founding National Chairman of Pan Ndi-Igbo Foundation (PNF-USA) has congratulated Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra State on his re-election, describing his  sweeping victory as a reflection of his people-oriented programmes.

Orabuchi, an academic based in the U.S, in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos, said that Obiano, by beating his opponents in all the 21 local governments of the state, performed a rare feat.

Obiano polled more than his opponents in all the 21 Local Governments in the Nov. 18 governorship election, and had a total of 234,074 of the 457,311 valid votes to come tops.

His closest rival, Dr Tony Nwoye of the All Progressives Congress (APC), polled 98,752 votes.

Orabuchi commended Obiano for his governance style, urging those seeking public office to be prudent and honest, to win the trust of the people.

He urged them to be well-versed policies that would uplift the masses.

Orabuchi advised political office holders to have policies in place to pay salaries and pensions regularly, and build infrastructure that would facilitate development.

The educationist commended INEC for conducting a free and fair election devoid of violence, expressing hope that future elections in Nigeria would follow the same pattern.

He also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for not interfering with the operation of the electoral body.

“I greatly commend President Buhari for his neutrality and unbiased position on Anambra election.

“When President Buhari visited the state a few days before the election, he didn’t make comments that could threaten the integrity of the election.

“He made sure that the military and security personnel discharged their responsibilities with high degree of fairness to allow the electorate to decide without interference,” Orabuchi said. (NAN)
AYO/ENN/SOA
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Edited by Edwin Nwachukwu/Oluwole Sogunle

NAN-AE-4
Projects
By Mustapha Lamidi
Abuja, Nov. 21, 2017 (NAN) Mrs Abimbola Okoya, the Executive Director, British American Tobacco (BAT) Nigeria Foundation, says that the organisation has spent over N1 billion on agricultural and community development projects in 15 years.

She said this on Tuesday at the foundation’s 2018 Dialogue Session on Smallholders Farmers and Sustainable Agriculture in Abuja.

Okoya said: “In 15 years of our existence, BAT Nigeria Foundation has implemented over 150 community projects in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

“We invested an estimated sum of N1billion on agriculture and community development.

“We strengthened and collaborated with 44 agencies and institutions, while encouraging the adaptation and resilience to climate change.

“We also engaged in high-level advocacy and earned the NS ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Certification.’’

The executive director said that that BAT Nigeria Foundation had trained 18,000 farmers in good agricultural practices to “lift the standard of living of rural farmers, while increasing agricultural productivity and sustaining food security.’’

Okoya said that the venture was also aimed at “generating employment, contributing to national economic growth and reducing the nation’s dependence on oil revenues.’’

She said that one of the main objectives of the organisation was to move farmers from subsistence farming to commercial farming.

Chief Kola Jamodu, the Chairman of BAT Nigeria Foundation, said that the organisation was determined “to proffer solutions that can improve the productivity of smallholder farmers regardless of their environment, urban or rural.

“The plan is to facilitate the farmers’ transition from subsistence agriculture to commercial agriculture and agro-business so as to boost the nation’s economy.’’

Jamodu, who was represented by Mr Yusuf Ageni, a member of BAT Nigeria Foundation Board of Trustees, said that he was hopeful that the Federal Government’s Agricultural Promotional Policy would reposition the country towards the path of prosperity.

In her speech, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), who was represented by Mrs Lola Olaopa, said that the Federal Government was determined to improve the citizens’ living conditions.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that participants at the dialogue session were drawn from all parts of the country. (NAN)
MOL/OOK
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NAN-AE-1
Land
By Kudirat Musa
Chakantare (Adamawa), Nov. 20, 2017 (NAN) The Yola South Local Government Council has provided land for the FADAMA III Second Additional Financing (AFII) Programme to build a livelihood restoration centre.

Mr Dahiru Hammanyaji, the Training and Technical Assistance Officer of the FADAMA programme, disclosed this on Monday during an inspection visit of FADAMA internal mission teams, led by Dr Ben Herbert, to the site in Chakantare.

Hammanyaji said that the centre was established to boost livestock production through improved marketing operations, while enhancing the quality of local livestock breeds through crossbreeding technology.

“Part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which FADAMA signed with the local government council, was to have a space where crossbreeding practices could be demonstrated and where we can produce livestock via artificial insemination.

“We have open space for marketing activities and a reserved space where other activities can be conducted as well.

“The crossbreeding technology from FADAMA is expected to trickle down to the people; this would soon have a visible impact on our livestock breeds and their milk.

“We do not want to go into agriculture that will consume space with no output,’’ he added.
Hammanyaji, however, said that the Yola South Local Government Council and the FADAMA benefiting communities were facing challenges such as inadequate private sector stakeholders to spearhead the monitoring and sustainability of the project.
“We will strengthen the private sector input to achieve the aims and objectives of the centre,’’ he said.
He said that the local council had also resolved to provide space for the construction of the rice mill, which was currently operated by youths and women at the centre.
Mr Ahmad Suleiman, the councillor representing Mbamoi ward in the local government council, commended the World Bank and FADAMA for their assistance to the community and Adamawa as a whole.
“Our people have suffered a lot; they have been hosting the Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) and assisting them since they came to our local government area.
“The World Bank, through FADAMA, came in with the Food Security and Livelihood Emergency Support Project to help our people to restore their livelihoods.
“Our council has shown appreciation for the FADAMA programme; it has provided the land for the creation of a restoration centre so as to enable our people to benefit more from the project,’’ he said.
A beneficiary in the livestock sector, Mrs Hawal Ahmadu, who spoke on behalf of other female beneficiaries, commended the FADAMA programme for providing them with food and livestock “at a time when all hopes were lost.
“I am so happy that the FADAMA teams visited my house to see how I am coping with the rams and sheep I received under the project.
“They also advised me on how to sustain the livestock business for my maximum benefit,” she said (NAN)
ROK/KOO/OOK
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Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa and Dayo Komolafe

NAN-H-46
Beneficiaries
By Kudirat Musa
Moudire (Adamawa), Nov. 19, 2017 (NAN) Beneficiaries of the FADAMA III Second Additional Financing (AFII) programme in Girei Local Government Area (LGA) of Adamawa on Sunday commended the programme for its impact on their lives.

Mr Hammaji Umar, the spokesman for the beneficiaries in the livestock sub-sector, conveyed the commendation in Moudire when the FADAMA III (AFII) mission team visited the local government area.

He said that Girei LGA had four host communities with 160 beneficiary households, adding that the 40 beneficiary households in each community were identified with the help of the community leader.

“The intervention is on the Food Security and Livelihoods Emergency Support Project, the FADAMA officials started with the food security aspect because they believed that if they give us inputs and no food to eat, we would definitely eat the inputs.

“ FADAMA provides food items for us to eat before going to farm; we are now in the livelihood phase of the project which involves livestock and inputs.

“Any farmer who wanted to go into crop planting was given all the required inputs and livestock farmers were also given either four goats, sheep or rams with feeds.

“They have completed all the inputs disbursement in that phase and we have acknowledged that we received them all,’’ he said.

Umar said that the intervention had really changed the lives of all the beneficiaries, adding that FADAMA was the best project in the country.

He, however, urged the World Bank and Federal Government to initiate more programmes for the residents of the neighbourhood.

Mr Garba Mohammed, a beneficiary in the crop growing sub-sector, also lauded the FADAMA programme for encouraging the returnees to go back to farming after losing everything to the Boko Haram insurgency.

“I received maize seeds and fertiliser with capacity building and advisory services.

“Under the FADAMA III (AF II) project, I had a bumper harvest of 40 bags of maize on one hectare of farmland and my income has increased significantly.

“We are planning to do dry season farming and we have started preparing the land; we will definitely have good yield by replicating our experience in the rainy season farming,’’ he added.

Mohammed urged other beneficiaries to endeavour to make good use of the inputs they received under the programme and also think of how to multiply them in order to make life better for them thereafter.

Also speaking, Mr Usman Abubakar, the Public Relations Officer of Girei LGA, said that the FADAMA III (AFII) programme had appreciably improved the living standards of beneficiary households in the communities.

“We appreciate the assistance from the FADAMA programme and we want to assure the FADAMA officials that we are going to utilise all the things they gave us judiciously.

“We thank the FADAMA programme and we will continue to pray for sustainability of the project to enable it to record more achievements.

“The beneficiaries are overjoyed and they have been organising monthly sanitation exercises to show their appreciation to the government for the intervention,’’ he said.

Abubakar, however, said that some of the challenges facing the implementation of the FADAMA project in Girei LGA included the nonchalant attitude of other community members toward the livestock which the beneficiaries received under the project.

“Most of the non-beneficiaries believe that the animals are government properties which can be stolen or handled anyhow.

“We have series of cases in the police station regarding the theft of livestock, food items and other livelihood materials that were meant for the beneficiaries.

“Besides, most of the beneficiaries in the crop category need irrigation facilities for dry season farming because the tube well they are using is far from their farms, and it is not even sufficient for them,’’ he said. (NAN)

ROK/OOK
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NAN-H-27
Strategies
By Kudirat Musa
Yola, Nov. 19, 2017 (NAN) The FADAMA III Second Additional Financing (AFII) Programme is planning to launch infrastructure and cash-for-work strategies to strengthen the implementation of its North East Food Security and Livelihood Emergency Support Project.

Dr Ben Herbert, Agribusiness Specialist in the National FADAMA Coordinating Office, who is the leader of FADAMA Internal Mission teams, disclosed this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Yola.

Herbert said that the programme would soon launch the infrastructure and cash-for-work aspects of the project to strengthen its implementation in the region.

“We are doing this to rekindle hope and bring our people together; so that we can focus on the rehabilitation processes because the Federal Government is thinking of big rehabilitation works in the North East.

“FADAMA, through World Bank, is doing this to ensure effective participation of the people; they should work hard as households because no matter how little they see the intervention, it is important.

“It is a way of bringing them back together to ensure the restoration of their household economy which was hitherto lost, and they should keep their record very well for future purpose,’’ he said.

Herbert said that the cash-to-work strategy was evolved to tackle the cash problems that would obviously face the returnees after years of displacement.

“We will introduce the cash-to-work scheme, so that they can get some money; this will help them to solve other problems apart from the food we have been giving them.

“The cash-to-work scheme is aimed at keeping the youth and energetic persons busy through tree planting, sanitation projects and other things that will benefit the community. Some stipend will be given to them every day.

“When you occupy the minds of this group of people, they will feel at home and the issue of settling down in the community would be achieved,’’ he said.

The team leader noted that the North East Food Security and Livelihood Emergency Support Project, which was implemented by FADAMA under the World Bank, was a serious and emotional intervention.

“We thank the Federal Government for the project. The project is moving on well because I can perceive the excitement of the beneficiaries; they are very happy and FADAMA has been doing its best to ensure accountability.

“We will continue to monitor the level of intervention and if there is a best practice, we will showcase it in other states.

“For instance, Adamawa has done very well; we are impressed and what we need to do now is to tidy up our strategies and showcase them to the Federal Government,’’ Herbert said. (NAN)
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Navy holds quarterly route march in Badagry
NAN-H-25

Navy

By Henry Oladele

Lagos, Nov. 18, 2017 (NAN) About 200 security personnel participated in the quarterly route march organised by the Nigerian Navy on Saturday in Badagry, Lagos State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the seven-kilometre route match took the security agents round the ancient coastal town before returning to the Naval Forward Operating Base in Topo, Badagry.

Speaking after the exercise, the Commanding Officer, Forward Operating Base, Capt. Olushina Ojebode, said that the route march was to improve the combat readiness and operational effeciency of naval troops.

“You can only perform optimally in a sound body and mind, so this is to enhance the physical fitness of our officers and men and of our sister agencies so that there won’t be laggards.

“We as security agents assure residents that we are ready to protect them and ensure they have freedom of movement to perform their civil and legal duties,” he said.

He also reteirated the navy’s commitment to secure the nation’s territorial waters as well as security of lives and property.

According to him, the exercise is also to strengthen the existing cordial relationship among all the security agencies.

Ojebode said that the idea was to engender cooperation among the security agencies in the discharge of their responsibilities to enable everyone to work together effectively.

NAN reports that other security agencies that participated in the route march were Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.(NAN)

HOB/WOJ

(Edited by Wale Ojetimi)

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NAN-AE-7
Fund
By Kudirat Musa
Yola, Nov. 17, 2017 (NAN) The Adamawa Government has paid N20 million counterpart fund for the implementation of the FADAMA III Second Additional Financing (AFII) programme to fast-track efforts to restore people’s livelihoods in the state.

Mr Mohammed Bello, the State Project Coordinator of FADAMA, made this known on Friday in Yola, while presenting a report to the FADAMA mission team led by Dr Ben Herbert.

Bello said that the FADAMA III (AFII) project, also known as North East Security and Livelihood Emergency Support Project, was initiated to respond to the food and livelihood needs of families who were hitherto displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency.

He noted that the feats recorded in the project encouraged the state government to pay the counterpart fund.

“The scope and scale up of Fadama III (AFII) project activities in the six northeastern states of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi and Gombe is aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the project.

“Adamawa is one of the participating states and it is expected that over 4,000 households in the state would have been supported by the end of the project.

“FADAMA III (AFII) project covers all the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.

“From the 4,000 supported households, 2,240 persons were returnees and 1,760 persons were from the host communities, while the project also engaged 20 facilitators across the state,’’ he said.

He said that the FADAMA III (AFII) project had built the capacity of the beneficiaries and provided advisory services for them.

“With regard to crop production, 2,331 households were supported under the project, which also supported fisheries.

“The inputs distribution pattern showed that 12,950 kilogrammes of rice varieties like Faro 44 variety were distributed, while 207 hectares of rice farmlands were cultivated.

“Other crops that were distributed include maize, sorghum, groundnut and onion, while fertilisers, herbicides and insecticides, among other inputs, were also dispensed.

“Advisory services were given to 4,000 household beneficiaries across the state, with 2,331 beneficiaries in the crop sub-sector and 1,669 in the livestock sub-sector,’’ he said.  (NAN)
ROK/OIF/OOK
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Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo and Dayo Komolafe

NAN-AE-2
FADAMA
By Kudirat Musa
Yola, Nov. 17, 2017 (NAN) The Adamawa Government on Friday lauded FADAMA programme for promoting the state’s development but urged it to be more gender sensitive in the implementation of its projects.

Mrs Felicia Nzomisaki, the Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Agriculture, conveyed the government’s position on Friday in Yola when the mission team of FADAMA III Second Additional Financing (AFII) programme visited her.

Nzomisaki said that the FADAMA project had recorded laudable achievements in Adamawa, particularly because of its impact across all the local government areas of the state.

“FADAMA activities have really helped us. For instance, whenever non-governmental organisations (NGOs) come here and discover what FADAMA is doing here, they always want to align with us because of FADAMA.

“FADAMA activities in the state have gone a long way toward assisting our farmers and, indeed, the entire citizens of the state.

“FADAMA is only intervention programme that has stood the test of time and its impact is seen everywhere in the state,’’ she added.

The permanent secretary expressed the government’s gratitude for the successful implementation of the FADAMA programme in the state.

She said that the recognition of the valuable input of the FADAMA programme into the state’s development had encouraged the government to approve the release of N20 million counterpart funds for the project.

Nzomisaki, nonetheless, urged the National FADAMA Coordination Office to ensure that the implementation of its projects was gender sensitive so as to boost the achievement of the goals of the programme.

“Women ought to be given the same opportunities as the men; I discovered that we have enough female professionals who can do better than most of the male professionals who are engaged by FADAMA.

“If the women are encouraged, I am sure they could have ideas that are better than those of the male professionals. That is why I am advocating increased representation of women in FADAMA teams,’’ she said.

Earlier, Dr Ben Herbert, Agribusiness Specialist in the National FADAMA Coordination Office, who is the leader of the mission teams, commended the state government for supporting the project.

“I say well done to the state government for the successful implementation of the FADAMA III (AF11) intervention project in the state, which started a year ago.

“We are here to ascertain what you have done, what you are expected to do in last one year and plan ahead for the betterment of the project.

“The objectives of this mission are to assess the level of implementation of the FADAMA III (AFII) project in states, undertake field visits to verify the execution of the approved Community Action Plans (CAPs) and provide technical guidance where necessary.’’

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the FADAMA III (AF11) intervention project, which is also known as the North East Food Security and Livelihood Emergency Support Project, is being implemented in Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Taraba, Gombe and Yobe states. (NAN)
ROK/OOK
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