General
IFAD Provides $60m to Improve Income, Food Security in Niger Delta
By Adedapo Adesanya
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has contributed $60 million to the Federal Government/IFAD-Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises project in the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND).
This was disclosed by Mrs Dede Ekoue, IFAD Nigeria Country Director, on Tuesday at the Federal Government/IFAD LIFE-ND Mid Term Review Mission Inception workshop in Abuja.
This represented about 90 per cent of the $67.8 million budgeted for the project.
She identified LIFE ND as an important programme aimed at enhancing income, food security, and job creation for rural youths and women through sustainable agri-enterprise development in the region.
She said the mid-term review showed that the project had made significant progress, including an outreach of 14,155 smallholder farmers as against the targeted 25,500.
She noted that the figure represented 55.5 per cent.
According to her, no fewer than 2,500 community women and youths have been trained in the use and cultivation of bio-fortified planting materials.
They included Pro Vitamin A cassava, brown rice, fruits, orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, and homestead establishment in more than 39 schools and 150 incubation centres.
She noted that the efforts were aimed at improving nutrition and income generation.
“The uniqueness of LIFE-ND lies in its innovative incubation approach to youths entrepreneurs, taking into account gender equality.
“The project has engaged 792 mature businesses (enterprise incubators), who are working with the project to create and coach 6,035 new enterprises, which represents gainful jobs for women and youths in Nigeria.
“It is worthy of note that a total of 6,500 hectares have been acquired to facilitate women and youth’s access to land, a critical asset for scaling up agricultural activities,” she said.
Mrs Ekoue further said that the MTR mission represented an opportunity to identify strategies, to scale up the results and the project’s impact.
“The mission is an important participatory exercise that calls for active contributions of all stakeholders in developing pathways to maximise the impact of LIFE ND, building on the best practices generated by the project and addressing challenges facing target groups and beneficiaries.
“The mission is leveraging opportunities that are yet to be fully harnessed, including digital solutions and the partnership with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), to scale up support to youths and women, help enterprises development, job creation and foster the transformative growth of the agro-food sector.”
On his part, Mr Musa Bukar, the Director of Programme Coordinating Unit at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, commended the achievements of the project so far.
He appealed to IFAD to boost its funding to accommodate other Niger Delta states like Imo, Rivers, and Akwa-Ibom and assured IFAD of the ministry’s commitment to ensuring the full realisation of the project’s objectives.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A hotline number, 0800 123 5264, for Nigerians to report any MRS Oil Nigeria Plc filling stations selling Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, above the approved pump price of N739 per litre, has been released by Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
The private refiner said the number was now active nationwide, enabling consumers to promptly report violations and help maintain fair pricing across over 2,000 MRS stations.
This measure follows the refinery’s recent commencement of nationwide PMS sales at N739 per litre—a strategic intervention aimed at stabilising fuel prices and easing the financial burden on Nigerians during the festive season.
“We encourage Nigerians to avoid purchasing PMS at inflated prices when locally refined fuel is available at N739 per litre.
“Report any MRS station selling above this price by calling our hotline. Together, we can ensure that the benefits of this price reduction reach every consumer,” the company stated in a statement.
The organisation stressed its mission to deliver affordable, high-quality fuel while safeguarding national economic interests, reaffirming its commitment to steady supply, backed by a guaranteed daily output of 50 million litres, and warned against attempts to create artificial scarcity or manipulate supply.
Regulatory authorities have been urged to remain vigilant and take decisive action against unpatriotic practices.
By refining locally at scale, Dangote Refinery is reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imports, conserving foreign exchange, stabilising the Naira, and strengthening energy security. This initiative represents a significant milestone in the country’s journey toward sustainable energy solutions and economic recovery.
The refinery also issued a stern warning against attempts by unscrupulous operators to create artificial scarcity in response to the price reduction, calling on government agencies to act decisively.
“Any attempt to create artificial scarcity or manipulate supply to frustrate recent price reductions is unpatriotic and unacceptable. We urge regulatory authorities to remain vigilant and take firm action against such practices, especially during this critical festive period,” the statement added.
Consumers were advised to resist purchasing fuel at inflated prices when cheaper, high-quality alternatives are readily available.
By Bon Peters
The Airport Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) at Omagwa Rivers State has praised the Customs Area Controller for Customs Area 1 Command, Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku.
At the end-of-the-year party attended by stakeholders, including the leader of the association’s chapter, Mr Charles Onyema, said the customs officer has done well in stakeholder engagement and trade facilitation.
At the event held last Friday, he said his association has been enjoying a very cordial relationship with other organisation in the ecosystem.
“You can see what is happening today, everybody is working together and our operations here are seamless,” he noted.
He stated that apart from creating a very robust business environment for his members and other stakeholders to operate, he has taken a decision to build and commission a befitting ANLCA Secretariat which would be completed soon and be commissioned by the ANLCA national president, Mr Emenike Nwokeoji.
The ANLCA chapter chief said since “Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku assumed office at Customs Area 1, Port Harcourt Command, it has been a different ball game, facilitating trade and increasing Revenue generation.”
“I remember I told her she was a mother during her maiden visit to the airport.
“You know when you have a woman in charge of an affair, food will not lack, compassion will not lack and motherly love will not lack.
“She is very wonderful in stakeholder engagement, revenue generation and trade facilitation,” Mr Onyema enthused.
Projecting into the future, Mr. Onyema said the year 2026 would be better for his members, adding that he has advised them on financial discipline which he said would help them during the trying period.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has declared Thursday, December 25, and Friday, December 26, 2025, as public holidays to mark Christmas and Boxing Day respectively.
The government also declared Thursday, January 1, 2026, for the New Year celebration.
The declaration was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Mrs Magdalene Ajani, on behalf of the Minister of Interior, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
According to the statement, the Minister urged Nigerians to reflect on the values of love, peace, humility and sacrifice associated with the birth of Jesus Christ.
Mr Tunji-Ojo also called on citizens, irrespective of faith or ethnicity, to use the festive season to pray for peace, improved security and national progress.
He further advised Nigerians to remain law-abiding and security-conscious during the celebrations, while wishing them a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
Business Post reports that on these public holidays – the foreign exchange market, the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), as well as the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange will not open to trade.
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