Blog

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Mills
By Kudirat Ogunyemi
Abuja, Nov. 10, 2016 (NAN) The Federal government says it is facilitating the procurement of additional 40 large-scale rice mills to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production by 2018.
Chief Audu Ogbeh, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday at a workshop themed “Big Boost for Agro Diversification and Export.’’
Ogbeh said that the Integrated Rice Mills (IRMs) of the Ministry had increased the rice milling capacity in the country.
He said that the Ministry’s new goal was to attain self-sufficiency in food production and annually export 10 million metric tonnes of food to ECOWAS region and beyond by 2019.
According to the minister, the country’s food import bill has further declined from N1.1 trillion in 2009 to N684 billion in 2013.
“Nigeria has huge agricultural potentials with 11 million hectares of arable land but only cultivates 40 per cent; 263 billion cubic metres of water with two of the largest rivers in Africa.
“We have a cheap labour force to support agriculture intensification. We grow our food, feed ourselves and create local and international markets for our farmers and also unlock our enormous potentials in agriculture.
“We can achieve the economic diversification goal of government and surmount the present economic recession.
“I hope with the help of the Pentair, Good Rain, Dayu irrigation, Zhong Zhou Poultry, Jinan and our local companies, we will diversify and get out of recession in no time,’’ Ogbeh said.
Don Ekesiobi, Managing Director, Eurobase Nigeria Limited, the workshop organiser, said his company and the Ministry of Agriculture brought to Nigeria six world leading agro companies for partnership.
Ekesiobi said that the companies would introduce and showcase for adoption, technologies to turn around neglected agro value chain of the country in six months.
“I hereby state that any state, local government, commercial and private agro company that adopts and partner with these corporations will be on their way out of recession within a short time.
“Nigeria’s arable land has capacity to generate 100 billion dollar annually, if we take agro chain value seriously this time.
“ If Chile and other countries can survive on agriculture with huge favour, Nigeria can do the same if it adopts and apply the right technology,’’ he said.
He urged states, local governments and stakeholders to identify crops that are adaptable to their terrain.
Ekesiobo added that the partnership would boost and achieve sustainable economic growth and job creation in the country. (NAN)
ROK/JPE/WOJ
(Edited by Joseph Edeh / Wale Ojetimi)
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NAN-H-83

Fund

By AbdulFatai Beki.

Ilorin, Nov. 10, 2016 (NAN) The Kwara House of Assembly, on Thursday in Ilorin, confirmed the establishment of the Kwara Infrastructure Development Fund (IF-K).

The confirmation was sequel to Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed’s request for the approval of the scheme, which would  fund all developmental projects in the state.

The governor had sought the legislative backing on the establishment of the state Infrastructure Development Fund (IF-K) for the execution of capital projects under public private partnership.

Th governor, in his Oct. 19 message, which was read by the Speaker, Dr Ali Ahmad, said that the board had been fully set up in line with the law establishing the IF-K.

He added that the board had in addition, ratified the appointments of the bureau and matters relating to the IF-K in accordance with Section 18 (1) and Section 10 of the KP3 Bureau Law.

Ahmed described IF-K as an optimum process for gap closure after consideration of several factors.

According to him, the initiative is expected to be a modulated approach to meeting the sophisticated infrastructure financing needs.

The governor, therefore, sought for the House confirmation and acceptance of the IF-K to be fully operational.

The House had summoned six state public officers over issues relating to the confirmation and establishment of the Fund.

Officers summoned were the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Babatunde AbdulWahab, the Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Ademola Banu and his counterpart in the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, Alhaji Wasiu Odewale.

Among others were the Chairman, Kwara State Internal Revenue Service, Dr Muritala Awodun and the Accountant General of the State, Alhaji Suleiman Ishola.

The legislature expressed satisfaction with the briefing on the rationale behind the establishment of the board.

It confirmed the appointment of an Acting Director-General and replacement with a new Board Chairman of the Bureau for Public Private and Partnership (PPP) for the execution of capital projects in the state.

Also, at the plenary, a bill for a law to establish the Kwara State Health Insurance Agency and the Kwara State Health Insurance Scheme passed through the first reading.

The bill seeks to provide access for  affordable health care for residents of the state.

The motion for the first reading was moved by the Chairman, House Committee on Health and Environment,  Mr Ahmed Ibn- Muhammed.

The Speaker later directed the Clerk of the House, Alhaji Ahmed Muhammed- Katsina to read the bill for the first time

The bill was later committed to the House Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative action. (NAN)

BEKI /TO/YEMI

Edited by Tola Okinbaloye

Controlled by Yemi Idris-Aduloju

APC says Ondo is  very important to FG
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Rally
By Emmanuel Mogbede
Abuja, Nov. 10, 2016 (NAN) Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the APC National Chairman, says Ondo State is a very important state to the Federal Government in spite of being governed by the PDP.
He said this on Thursday in Akure during a campaign rally of APC governorship candidate in Ondo State.
He said that the state would remain important to the Federal Government and therefore there was need for the APC to win the state in the coming gubernatorial polls slated for Nov. 26.
This, he said, needed the commitment and determination of all APC members in the state as it would not be easy to wrestle power from incumbent government.
Also at the event, Gov. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun stressed the need for unity among party members, saying “where there are disputes, we must resolve them’’.
“We must not entertain malice; we should put all hands on deck to ensure that the party emerged victorious at the election.
“We should embark on house to house campaign ahead of the election to ensure that we win the election come Nov. 26,’’ he said.
Governors of Borno, Sokoto, Plateau and Ogun states as well as Ministers of Solid Minerals, Health and Labour and Employment, among others, were present at the campaign rally.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) and some members of the National Assembly were also present.
NAN reports that many APC members at the event said they were optimistic about the party’s chances in the election.
Some notable politicians in the state defected to the APC at the rally. They include Mr Gbenga Akereke, Pastor Peter Ojo, Mr Deji Ashiyeshrare and Mr Ben Orimoloye and several others.
The APC flag was handed over to party’s Governoship Candidate, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu by the Secretary to the Federal Government, Mr Babachir Lawal.
Akeredolu at the party`s primary, defeated Dr Segun Abraham, who polled 635, while Chief Olusola Oke came third with 583 votes, while Sen. Ajayi Boroffice came forth with 471 votes.
Akeredolu, a former President of Nigerian Bar Association, promised to create jobs through agriculture and entrepreneurship as well as regular payment of workers’ salaries, among others. (NAN)
EEM/TO/TA
Edited by Tola Okinbaloye/Tajudeen Atitebi

Lagos traders pledge commitment to weekly environmental sanitation

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Sanitation
By Chidinma Agu
Lagos, Nov. 10, 2016 (NAN) Traders in some major markets in Lagos on Thursday expressed their commitment to the weekly compulsory sanitation.

Some of the traders in Kosofe, Lagos Mainland and Lagos Island Local Government Areas, gave this assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

One of the traders at Idumota, Mr Gbenga Dada, said that cleaning the markets and its environs had been part of their daily activities every Thursday.

“We are committed to this exercise and every Thursday you see traders busy cleaning up the whole area.

“November is critical because the year is coming to an end and we do not want any delay in opening our shops once the exercise ends by 10 o’clock,’’ he said.

Alhaji Buba Shinkafi, a yam seller at Mile 12 market, said that the traders attached importance to Thursday sanitation as it gave them opportunity to sweep and keep the market clean.

“We all have prepared for the end of year sales and any delay in opening up for business at the end of the exercise will not be good for business at this period.

“We have been doing sanitation every Thursday but getting to the end of year it is always a serious business,’’ he said.

At Ketu Market, a fruit seller, Mr Usman Dada, said that traders in the market took Thursday sanitation serious whether the beginning, middle or end of the month or year.

“Traders in Jakande-Ikosi market have always shown high level of commitment to Thursday sanitation in the state.

“You know that we have running issues with the state government on the market environment because of its location and we do not want the issue to escalate.

“As such, Thursday clean up had always been a serious business for us here.

“We do whatever within our means to ensure that the market and its environs are kept clean for trading activities,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Commissioner for The Environment, Dr Babatunde Adejare, had earlier said that the state government was working towards ensuring that markets are sectorised.

According to him, the idea is to achieve well-organised markets where sellers, goods and services of similar products will be in a particular place.

“This will eliminate the belief and tendency that it is when goods are sold on the streets and on setbacks that selling can be achieved,’’ Adejare said.

He said that no one was permitted to convert the roads, medians, set-backs and walkways into shops and markets.

The commissioners warned that eliminating hawking and street trading should form part of the weekly exercise in the state.

He added that the activities of street traders and hawkers were degrading the environment. (NAN)
ACA/FF/AFA
Edited by Fela Fashoro/Felix Ajide
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Empathy
London, Nov. 10, 2016 (Reuters/NAN) The Professional Footballers’ Association, has voiced concerns over Jose Mourinho’s criticism of Manchester United defenders Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw, urging the manager to show more empathy towards players with “personal problems’’.

Mourinho condemned Shaw and Smalling over the pair’s apparent unwillingness to play through the pain barrier in Sunday’s Premier League win over Swansea City, saying they were not “brave’’ enough to feature.

“I was disappointed by that because, knowing the individuals, they are both highly thought of.

“They’ve got personal problems which I don’t need to relay,’’ PFA Chief Executive Gordon Taylor told Sky Sports.

“Sometimes a manager needs to be a psychologist as well, and also to be a counsellor because you can’t treat everybody in the team (the same), every manager must know that.

“Every player in a team is different.’’

Smalling has missed several United matches with a foot injury, but took a pain-killing injection to play against Chelsea last month, according to British media reports.

Shaw, who recently returned following a 10-month injury layoff, has had a mixed start to the campaign and lost his place in the starting line-up.

This came after Mourinho publicly criticised the 21-year-old following United’s loss at Watford in September.

“It’s a short-term career and we’re all human beings. I think that’s what management these days has to be,’’ Taylor added.

“I’m not talking about being soft, I’m talking about being understanding because to even get to the top in football you have got to succeed as not so many actually make it in the game.’’ (Reuters/NAN)
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(Edited by Emmanuel Okara/Peter Ejiofor)

NAN-HE-17

Delisting

By Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

Lagos, Nov. 10, 2016 (NAN) The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has delisted nine companies from its operations between January and October for mostly failure to comply with regulation.

De-listing involves removal of listed securities of a company from a stock exchange where it is traded on a permanent basis.

Data obtained from the exchange by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos indicates that the companies include IPWA Plc, G. Cappa, West African Glass Industries, Investment & Allied Insurance and Alumaco.

Others are Jos International Breweries, Adswitch, Rokanna and Vono Products Nigeria Plc.

NAN reports that eight of the companies were delisted for regulatory issues apart from Vono Products which was delisted because of its merger with Vitafoam.

Dr Uche Uwaleke, Head of Banking And Finance Department, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, told NAN that breach of post listing requirements, failure to pay the annual listing fee or a company in liquidation were the major reasons for delisting of companies.

Uwaleke said that non-submission of audited and unaudited reports as required by the exchange increased the chances of delisting.

“Other issues bordering on corporate governance may attract sanctions such as trading suspension which is lifted as soon as the matter is resolved.

To avoid being delisted, the management of a quoted company should endeavour to comply with NSE post listing requirements,” Uwaleke said.

He stated that delisted companies should be encouraged to list on NASD over the counter platform to provide a secondary market window for the shareholders of such companies.

Uwaleke called on the Securities and Exchange Comission (SEC) to ensure that shareholders of liquidated companies benefit from its National Investor Protection Fund (NIPF) as a way of compensation.

Mr Boniface Okezie, President, Progressive Shareholders Association of Nigeria (PSAN), said shareholders suffered most whenever a de-list from the exchange occurred.

Okezie said that market regulators going forward should ensure proper scrutiny of companies before listing and their ability to adhere to post listing requirement.

He said that shareholders must not bear the pain because regulatory agencies were the ones that approved the accounts that attracted investors to invest in companies. (NAN)
JNC/TO/IA

Edited by Tola Okinbaloye/Idris Abdulrahman

NAN-HE-82
Budget
By Mercy Obojeghren
Asaba, Nov. 10, 2016 (NAN) Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, on Thursday, presented a N270.91 billion 2017 budget to the state House of Assembly for consideration.

Presenting the budget, tagged: `”Budget of Fiscal Consolidation and Steady Progress,’’ Okowa said that N151.9 billion was earmarked for Recurrent Expenditure while N119 billion was for Capital Expenditure.

He noted that the 2017 appropriation showed a slight increase of N2.7 billion over the 2016 approved budget of N268.1 billion.

Okowa said that the main sources of the budget included the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), statutory allocation, Value Added Tax and other capital receipts.

He explained that the state was projecting N70.1 billion as IGR in 2017, adding that the amount was lower than the 2016 budget by N5.2 billion.

“In line with the state fiscal strategy forecasts, the sum of N148.9 billion of projected revenue for 2017 fiscal year is expected to come from the statutory allocation.

“This amount is slightly more than the sum of N137.9 billion projected for the 2016 fiscal year by N10 billion.

“This optimistic forecast for 2017 is based on expected improvement in the fiscal and financial discipline of the Federal Government and its peace efforts in the Niger Delta region to tackle pipeline bombing.

“It is assumed that the current reforms by the Federal Government, especially full disclosure of all revenues in line with the International Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS), will help increase accruing revenues to the Federation Account,’’ he said.

The breakdown of the budget showed that the economic sector has the lion share of N29.4 billion, followed by the State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC) with N28 billion.

The governor reiterated his administration’s commitment to grow and manage the economy of the state as it moves from sole dependency on oil to a stronger diversified source.

In his remarks, the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr Friday Osanebi, lauded the governor for the budget presentation and assured that the budget would be meticulously looked into by the House. (NAN)
MOA/JPE/YEMI
Edited by Joseph Edeh
Controlled by Yemi Idris-Aduloju

UN: Food runs out for 250,000 trapped in East Aleppo

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Food

Geneva, Nov. 10, 2016 (dpa/NAN) A quarter million Syrians in the Eastern part of Aleppo are at risk of starving as the last aid rations were distributed on Thursday, senior UN advisor, Jan Egeland, said in Geneva.

He said that humanitarian groups were unable to get access to the place.

The area that has been besieged by government forces with help from Russian air power has been cut off from outside aid since early July.

“It is a horrendous situation,” Egeland, the UN top envoy on humanitarian efforts, in Syria said.

He said the UN appealed again last week to the conflict parties to let food, medicine and health workers into Aleppo.

He said that the UN pleaded to allow the evacuation of some 300 patients along with their families.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said Thursday that Russia was continuing its humanitarian pause of air attacks on eastern Aleppo, in comments carried by the Interfax News Agency.

However, Egeland said that continuing heavy fighting on the ground had made aid efforts impossible.

In addition, the warring sides have raised various conditions that have further complicated UN efforts.

“I haven’t seen a place where there has been so much politicisation, manipulation of aid as we have seen in Syria,” he said at a press briefing.

Egeland urged the U.S., which backs Syrian anti-government rebels, and Russia to use their influence to unblock the humanitarian operation.

“Parties that are sponsoring the parties on the ground have to help us more,” he said. (dpa/NAN)
OYE/AMY
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Edited by Damilola Oyewole and Abdullahi Yusuf

TCN urges release of its N17bn Electricity Facility Fund
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Debt
Lagos, Nov. 10, 2016 (NAN) The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has called for the immediate release of the N17 billion Electricity Facility Fund granted it three years ago by the Federal Government.
Dr Abubakar Atiku, TCN Managing Director, made the call during the company’s “Change Management Sensitisation Tour’’ on Thursday in Lagos.
Represented by Sonny Iroche, TCN Executive Director, Finance and Account, Atiku explained that the money was TCN’s share of the N213 billion Electricity Facility Fund granted the power sector.
According to him, the fund is to help offset the legacy debts and address the revenue shortfall in the power sector.
Atiku said some distribution and generation companies had received their allocations from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), stressing that the non-release of the fund was hampering TCN’s operations.
He said that over N45 billions of TCN money for power transmitted was still trapped at CBN because Kaduna and Abuja Electricity Distribution Companies refused to complete necessary paper work.
Atiku said that the change management initiative was expected to affect the company’s processes, work culture and attitudes to achieve peak performance.
“This will invariably impact on achievement of the company’s goals and objectives,’’ he added.
The TCN boss said that the initiative would be launched across the entire organisation in order to change the mind set of workers towards work and behavioural attitude.
“One of the imperatives of the initiative is the need for change in the business processes and procedures as well as behavioural changes to enable adaption to the fast-changing business environment.
“Repositioning TCN would allow it achieve strategic vision, compete efficiently and thrive in today’s changing landscape in the power sector,’’ he said.
The TCN boss said that the company had consistently wheeled out adequate energy to distribution companies, some of which lacked capacity to receive the energy transmitted to them.
“Metering of customers remains the best option for distribution companies to recoup their investment adequately, because it is the only way to access consumption.
“We have invested a lot of money to improve on our technology and capacity but tariff was based on power wheeled out,’’ he said. (NAN)
YO/ENN/WOJ
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(Edited by Edwin Nwachukwu / Wale Ojetimi)

Malaysia permitted to pursue militants in Philippine waters

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Militants

Kuala Lumpur, Nov. 10, 2016 (dpa/NAN) Malaysia has been given the green light to enter Philippine waters to pursue militants and kidnappers who encroach on the eastern coast of Malaysia’s Sabah state, according to local media.

The report said that the decision was made during a bilateral meeting on Thursday between Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

It said that 10 Malaysians had been kidnapped this year by militant groups based in Southern Philippines, while five remain captive.

It said that a Malaysian, Bernard Then, who was kidnapped in May 2015 by Philippine terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, was beheaded in November of that year after negotiations for his release broke down.

According to the report, Najib said the permission from Duterte was important to ridding kidnap-for-ransom activities that have been a rising problem for both nations in the past few years.

“I appreciate President Duterte’s practical way in stamping out this menace.

“Defence Ministers of the three countries will meet to sort out the standard operating procedure for this to be implemented soon,” Najib told reporters after his meeting with Duterte. (Reuters/NAN)
OYE/AMY
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Edited by Damilola Oyewole and Abdullahi Yusuf