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  • Niger Govt to partner southwest states on livestock production supply

     

    Livestock
    By Rita Iliya
    Minna, June 11, 2024 (NAN) Niger Government says plans are underway to partner with the southwestern states on livestock production and supply to the states.

    Gov. Umaru Bago of Niger said this when he received a team on assessment of Livestock Productivity and Resilience Project (L-PRES) implementation in Minna on Tuesday.

    Bago, represented by Alh. Abubakar Usman, Secretary to Niger Government, said that the state plans to build an abattoir in Jebba and Mokwa as hub for livestock production for the western states.

    He said that the southwestern states such as Lagos, Oyo, Ogun and Osun would be the market for the already prepared meats.

    “Niger is taking its rightful place as a food producer for Nigeria and beyond using its arable land. We realised the need to use our assets to move ahead.

    “We have embarked on gigantic agriculture projects because agriculture is the only way out, so we need World Bank support for that,” he said.

    The governor commended the World Bank for the various intervention programmes in the state and pledged to provide necessary support to the team while on assessment tour.

    Earlier, Malam Sanusi Abubakar, National Project Coordinator, L-PRES, said the team was in the state to access the level of implementation of the project and review the 2024 annual work plan.

    He said that the L-PRES project commenced six years ago to strengthen the livelihood of people affected by farmer/herders conflict in some parts of the country.

    In his remarks, Mr Mami Ija, Commissioner for Livestock in Niger, said the L-PRES project was aimed at improving livestock productivity.

    He said it was also to enhance resilience and promote commercialisation of animal health nutrition.

    Ija explained that the project seeks to contribute to poverty reduction, enhance food security and sustainable agriculture development in participating states.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that L-PRES is a six year project with development objective to improve livestock productivity, resilience and commercialisation of selected value chains.

    It’s also aimed at strengthening the country’s capacity to respond to imminent crisis situations. (NAN)

    RIS/CEO/IU

    ============

    Edited by Chidi Opara / Isaac Ukpoju

  • Former German environment minister Klaus Töpfer dies at 85

    Former German environment minister Klaus Töpfer dies at 85

    Death

    Berlin, June 11, 2024 (dpa/NAN) A former German environment minister and longtime politician with the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU), Klaus Töpfer has died at age 85.

    Töpfer, lead the Environment Ministry from 1987 to 1994, died on Saturday after a short but serious illness, A CDU spokeswoman confirmed his death on Tuesday.

    He was credited with leaving a lasting mark on the German environmental party, and was viewed as the “green conscience” of the Christian Democrats for decades.

    He remained outspoken in his advocacy for sustainable policies into old age.

    He took over the ministry less than two years after it was created in the wake of the April 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the Soviet Union.

    The disaster had sent radioactive fallout into the air over Europe.

    Then-chancellor Helmut Kohl responded by combining environmental issues and nuclear reactor safety programmes into a single ministry.

    As early as 1988, Töpfer was advocating for a future without nuclear energy as well as fewer fossil fuels.

    He was replaced as environment minister in 1994 by Angela Merkel, then a rising star in the CDU who went on to lead the country from 2005 to 2021.

    Töpfer was born in Silesia, in what is now Poland, in 1938, He moved with his family to the town of Höxter in western Germany after World War II.

    After stepping down from the Cabinet, Töpfer went on to work with the United Nations in several capacities between 1996 and 2006.

    At the end of his life, Töpfer again lived in Höxter along with his wife. (dpa/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

    MERCY/COO/YEE

    =============

    (Edited by Cecilia Odey/Emmanuel Yashim)

  • Hezbollah fires dozens of rockets into northern Israel

    Hezbollah fires dozens of rockets into northern Israel

    Rocket

    Beirut/Tel Aviv, June 11, 2024 (dpa/NAN) The pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement has fired dozens of Katyusha rockets at targets in northern Israel.

    The Israeli military confirmed on Tuesday that it had recorded about 50 missiles fired from Lebanon and there were no injuries from the impacts.

    In a statement on Tuesday, Hezbollah said that “in response to an Israeli overnight attack in Hermal, eastern Lebanon, fighters bombed the headquarters of the Artillery Regiment.

    They also bombed the Armored Brigade of the 210th Golan Division in the Yardun Barracks with dozens of Katyusha rockets.”

    The Israeli attack in an area at the border with Syria caused five deaths, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

    A Lebanese security source said two Hezbollah commanders were among those killed.

    Since the war in the Gaza Strip began eight months ago, there have been daily military confrontations between the Israeli army, the Hezbollah militia, and other groups in the border area between Israel and Lebanon.

    There have been reports of deaths on both sides.

    The mutual shelling had caused severe destruction in towns on both sides of the border.

    Around 150,000 people have been evacuated or left the combat zone.

    Recently, the situation has escalated even further and there are fears of a larger military confrontation in the region if the Israel-Hamas conflict continues. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    MERCY/COO/YEE

    ==============

    (Edited by Cecilia Odey/Emmanuel Yashim)

  • Mechanic docked over alleged stealing 3 cars

    Mechanic docked over alleged stealing 3 cars

    Stealing

    By Raji Rasak

    Badagry (Lagos State), June 11, 2024 (NAN) A 41-year-old mechanic, Bebe Akapo was on Tuesday arraigned  in a Badagry Chief Magistrates’ Court over alleged stealing of three cars.

    The defendant, whose address is unknown, is standing trial on a two-count charge of felony and stealing.

    The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    The prosecutor, Insp Edet Ekpe told the court that the defendant committed the offence on March 25, at No 8 Wale Ajose Street, Abule Era, Ilogbo, Lagos,

    Ekpe said that the defendant allegedly conspired among others who were at large to commit felony to wit stealing three cars.

    “The defendant stole two Toyota Sienna space cars and one Toyota Camry car with registration number LSR 928 HE, KSF 497 EP, and SMK 373 FL belonging to Mr Bashir Qudus, Yusuf Ganiyu and Yusuf Bashiru, the complainants.

    He said that the contravened Sections 411 and 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos state, 2015.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mr N A Layeni granted the defendant bail in the sum of N1million with three sureties in like sum.

    He said that one of the sureties must be a community leader with three year tax clearance.

    Layeni adjourned the case until July 17, for mention. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

    ROR/JPE

    =======

    Edited by Joseph Edeh

     

  • NiDCOM chief condemns `modern-day slavery’ in form of human trafficking

    NiDCOM chief condemns `modern-day slavery’ in form of human trafficking

    Trafficking

    By Mercy Eletta

    Abuja, June 11, 2024 (NAN) Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), has condemned in strong terms, modern-day slavery in the form of human trafficking.

    Dabiri-Erewa condemned the practice in her remarks in Ghana where she visited 10 Nigerian girls trafficked to that country for prostitution under the guise of their employment as sales girls.

    This is contained in a statement by Gabriel Odu of NiDCOM’s Public Relations and Protocol Unit.

    The statement indicated that Dabiri-Erewa praised Chief Calistus Elozieuwa, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO)- Ghana, for the effort made by him and his board members to secure the release of the girls.

    The NiDCOM CEO emphasised the need for an end to human trafficking in Nigeria, saying: “We must declare a war against human traffickers.”

    She urged parents to find out the whereabouts of their children at all times when taken away by relatives or friends.

    She also called for collaborative efforts at naming and arresting traffickers.

    Dabiri-Erewa further said the rescued girls would be handed over to the officials of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, which will in turn hand them over to their various states for counselling and rehabilitation.

    Speaking at the event, according to the statement, Amb. Adeoye Ifedayo, the acting Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, applauded NIDO-Ghana for rescuing the girls.

    Ifedayo stressed the need for stakeholders to make conscious efforts to end human trafficking.

    The statement mentioned that Amara Iwuanyanwu, the Deputy Speaker of the Imo House of Assembly, who represented the governor of the state, Hope Uzodinma, reiterated the government’s commitment to improving the welfare of the rescued girls.

    The delegation from Nigeria consisting of NiDCOM and Imo Stae Government officials met with the top echelon of the Ghanaian Police who pledged to cooperate in the war against human trafficking.

    According to the statement, the delegation later met with the girls who were in high spirits and looked forward to returning home.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the news of the situation of the girls went viral after they were intercepted by officials of NIDO-Ghana, preventing them from continuing to their destination.

    NIDO-Ghana officials then promptly alerted NiDCOM back in Nigeria, leading to the swift intervention, the statement added. (NAN) (www.nan.ng)

    YEE

    ====

    (Edited by Emmanuel Yashim)

  • Matawalle donates 4,860 rams, N390m to APC stalwarts in Zamfara

    aMatawalle donates 4,860 rams, N390m to APC stalwarts in Zamfara

    Sallah

    By Ishaq Zaki

     

    Gusau, June 11, 2024 (NAN) The Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Matawalle, has donated 4,860 rams and N390million to the All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders, stakeholders and less-privileged families in Zamfara.

    This is contained in a statement on Tuesday by the State APC Publicity Secretary, Malam Yusuf Idris.

    The rams as well as the cash were donated to the beneficiaries ahead of the 2024 Eid-el-Kabir festival, which comes up on Sunday.

    According to Idris, the former governor’s annual largesse would be shared among various categories of beneficiaries across the state.

    He added that the gesture was aimed at assisting APC members,  stakeholders and the vulnerable households to celebrate the Eid-el-Kabir festivals in a happy mood.

    “The beneficiaries include the members of the State Working Committee of the APC as well as the party’s executives at the local government and ward levels across all the 14 local government areas of the state.

    “Other beneficiaries also include party elders, youths, women groups, Islamic scholars, less-privileged persons, orphans and the needy as well as party members throughout the state.

    “Other categories of beneficiaries are former Commissioners, Special Advisers, Directors- General, Senior Special Assistants, Special Assistants, Permanent Commissioners and Board members.

    “Similarly, a total of 140 persons selected from the 14 local government areas of the state will receive N100,000 each to support them to perform sacrifices during the Eid-el-Kabir,” Idris said.

    He further said that the Sallah gesture was also extended to the APC stakeholders in the North-West geopolitical zone. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    IZ/DCO/BRM

    ===============

    Edited by Deborah Coker/Bashir Rabe Mani

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Democracy Day: Expert tasks govts on skilled workforce

    Dr John Nwafor, Managing Director, Metrodigital Ltd.

     

    Democracy

    By Sylvester Thompson

    Abuja, June 11, 2024 (NAN) A medical expert, Dr John Nwafor, has urged government at all levels to invest in  training programmes in order to build a skilled workforce that will add value to global economies.

    Nwafor gave the advice in Abuja on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) ahead of the celebration of the nation’s Democracy Day slated for June 12.

    He said building a highly skilled and educated workforce was very important in a global community and would enable Nigeria compete favourably.

    He noted that companies in advanced countries such as the United States, Canada and Britain among others , outsource some of the Information Technology (IT) jobs in countries like Malaysia and India.

    “The reason they are going there is because these countries have a highly educated workforce, which can be easily trained to do some of the tasks that would had been done in their countries.

    “So, we want the government to look into how to improve our educational systems and training programmes to enable us compete with all these countries.

    “Many companies channel money into these countries to hire their workers, to set up infrastructure to do all these in these places,” he said.

    Nwafor, who is the Managing Director, Metrodigital Ltd., said Nigeria needed to make more investments in terms of improving the educational sector.

    He said that if Nigeria had a highly trained workforce, companies like Microsoft would come and carry out their software development.

    According to him, companies like Apple and others can also come to invest in the country as a result of the trained and skillful workforce.

    Metrodigital boss also lauded Nigeria’s hard earned democracy in the last 25 years, saying democracy had indeed brought dividends to Nigerians.

    He said with democracy, government was able to revolutionalise the telecom industry which led to massive investment in telecom infrastructure in the country.

    According to him, the telecom giants like MTN, Globacom, 9mobile, Airtel among others have dominated the Nigerian telecom market.

    He said that they brought affordable telecommunication services to almost every part of Nigeria.

    “There has been tremendous progress made in the financial services sector, as new companies such as PayPal, Flutterwave, Opay, Moniepoint among others, have also emerged in the last few years.

    “These have really revolutionalised financial services in a way, making e-commerce possible and with the advent of Fintech, people can now sit back in their homes and make orders in Jumia or Konga.

    “Every market woman or man can have his/her Point of Sales(POS) and be able to accept credit card payments.

    “These are all improvements in technology that emerged over the last several years as a result of democracy in the country,” Nwafor said.

    He urged governments to continue to make more progress by creating more enabling environment for more companies to thrive.(NAN) www.nannews.ng

    SET/OJI/ADA

    Edited by Maureen Ojinaka/Deji Abdulwahab
    ======

  • Fire under control in School of Science, Tech in Kano – Fire Service

    Fire under control in School of Science, Tech in Kano – Fire Service

    Fire

    By Bosede Olufunmi

    Kano, June 11, 2024(NAN) The Kano Fire Service has put out the fire in the Matan Fada,  School of Technology in Nassarawa Local Government Area of the state.

    The Public Relations Officer of the service, Alhaji Saminu Abdullahi, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Kano.

    Abdullahi said that the incident occurred on Monday night.

    ”We received a distress call at about 08:28 p.m., from Faisal Dauda that there was a fire incident at the School of Technology.

    ”Upon receiving the information, we quickly sent a fire vehicle to the scene at about 08:34 p.m., to bring the fire under control,’’ he said.

    Abdullahi said that the building of 500 x 500ft dimension with nine classes and six offices, totaling 15 was completely razed down.

    He also said that no life was lost and the cause of the fire is being investigated. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    BO/DCO/SH

    ==========

    Edited by Deborah Coker/Sadiya Hamza

     

     

     

     

  • NNPC, Golar sign agreement on floating LNG

    NNPC, Golar sign agreement on floating LNG
     
    Agreement 
     
    By Emmanuella Anokam 
    Abuja, June 11, 2024 (NAN) The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has executed a Project Development Agreement (PDA) with Golar LNG for the deployment of a Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) offshore Niger Delta, Nigeria.
     
    Olufemi Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer, NNPC Ltd. in a statement on Tuesday said the agreement was in furtherance of the commitment to monetise Nigeria’s vast natural gas resources.
    The signing ceremony was attended by the Chief Financial Officer, Umar Ajiya; Executive Vice President, Gas Power & New Energy, Olalekan Ogunleye and Executive Vice President, Upstream, Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, all representatives of the NNPC Limited .
    The Golar LNG team was led by Karl Staubo (CEO).
    According to Soneye, the PDA is another major milestone achievement towards ensuring gas commercialisation through deployment of an FLNG Facility in Nigeria.
     
    This, he said was in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s resolve to rapidly commercialise Nigeria’s gas assets for the economic prosperity of the Nation.
     
    “The agreement aims to monetise vast proven gas reserves from shallow water resources offshore Nigeria. 
     
    “The PDA also outlines the monetisation plan that will utilise approximately 400-500mmscf/d and produce LNG, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Condensate,” he said.
     
    He said the Partners, NNPC Limited and Golar LNG have both expressed their commitment to achieve Final Investment Decision (FID) before end of Quarter Four (Q4), 2024 and first gas by 2027.
     
    Golar LNG Limited is a renowned independent owner and operator of LNG infrastructure, including carriers, Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRUs), and Floating Liquefaction (FLNG) vessels.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
     
    ELLA/EAL
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    Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi
     

  • Mr Eazi seeks more collaboration in education, sports

    ‘My new interest in Africa are education, sports’ says Mr Eazi

    Mr Eazi, founder of the Choplife Foundation
    Collaboration
    By Aderonke Ojediran
    Lagos, June 11, 2024 (NAN) Nigeria’s afrobeats artiste and entrepreneur, Oluwatosin Ajibade, popularly known as Mr Eazi, has called for more collaborations in education and sports in Africa.
    Mr Eazi said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday.
    “As we grow in life, there’s this self awareness that drives us into new passion, education is the bedrock of any forward thinking nation, as Africans I believe we need to be more deliberate about creating the right environment for learning.
     “I recently visited Rwanda, engaging in
    several significant events and meetings.
    One of my highlight was attending the NBA Basketball Africa League (BAL) finals between the champions Petrol De Luanda and Al Ahly ly.
    “This event showcased the best of African
    basketball talent, and undoubtedly my presence underscored  support for the continent’s sports growth and development,” he said.
    Mr Eazi said he had also visited various Rwandan companies for his Choplife gaming company as he explores potential partnerships and collaborations to expand his entrepreneurial ventures.
    “This will increase my impact on African youths and the creative industry.
    “A key part of my visit involved meeting with the Ministry of sports.
    “This discussion focused on potential collaborations for sports development and creating more opportunities for young people
    “I also engaged with the education sector to discuss potential collaborations with the Choplife Foundation.
    “These partnerships aim to leverage my commitment toward providing resources, opportunities, and platforms for deserving students in the region,” he said.
    He said he was seeking partnerships in Rwanda because the country needed more support in the education and sports sectors.
    Mr Eazi said  he also had ongoing projects in Nigeria and Ghana. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
    OAF/FAA
    ========
    Edited by Folasade Adeniran