June 12: Buhari to Address Nigerians on Sunday

The federal government has expressed its readiness to intensify efforts toward Nigeria’s 3.14 million hectares of irrigation systems to boost food production in the country. Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation,  Mr Joseph Terlumun Utsev, disclosed this at the ongoing 5-day National Workshop of the Nigerian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (NINCID ) themed The Role of Irrigation and Drainage Practices for Food Security in Nigeria in Kano. The Minister who gave this assurance also reiterated that the government is committed to ensuring adequate water supply to homes,  industries, and for agriculture purposes nationwide. The Minister, who was represented

By Adedapo Adesanya The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the Senate to reject the planned N15 billion for the construction of the vice president’s residence new building contained in the FCT 2023 supplementary budget. The call was contained in a letter addressed to the Senate President, Mr Godswill Akpabio. In the letter, dated December 2 and signed by SERAP’s deputy director, Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation urged Mr Akpabio to use his leadership position “to promptly reject the plan by the Minister of the FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike to spend N15 billion for the construction of a

 By Adedapo Adesanya The Cross River Government has entered into a partnership with Oando Clean Energy on the provision of wind power in the state. Signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the ongoing climate conference, known as COP28, in Dubai, Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State said the collaboration signified the commitment of the state to spearhead the green economy, which he described as a significant milestone in his development objective for the state. Represented by the state Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, Mr Oden Ewa, the Governor said the strategic deal with the energy company

By Dipo Olowookere The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, Mrs Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, is not happy that some Nigerians have to run to unsafe countries like Mali, Oman, Lebanon and others in the search for green pastures. The lawmaker, who represents Oluyole Federal Constituency in Oyo State at the National Assembly, blamed this on the current situation of things in the country. Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa but the country is regarded as the poverty capital of the world despite having huge mineral and human resources. Its citizens are spread across the world in search

By Modupe Gbadeyank A subsidiary company of ofi, Outspan Nigeria Limited, has stepped up efforts to improve local milk production by organising a capacity-building programme on dairy production management for smallholder dairy farmers in Kano State to deepen its backward integration programme in the dairy value chain. The programme was executed in conjunction with the Kano Dairy and Livestock Husbandry Cooperative Union (KADALCU), which comprises over 70,000 smallholder dairy farmers. The intense dairy farming training initiative is aimed at expanding both upstream and midstream segments of the dairy value chain to strengthen the knowledge and skill levels of the cooperative’s

By Dipo Olowookere Shark fins have been discovered on two Chinese fishing vessels during a joint surveillance conducted by Greenpeace and Guinean fishery authorities. One of the vessels also had illegally altered fishing nets on board, while a third Chinese vessel was caught using illegal nets and fishing for species outside of its license. The two vessels with shark fins on board have been fined with €250,000 each, while the third vessel has been fined with €350,000. The catch of all vessels have been seized by Guinean authorities. Apart from the shark fins, Greenpeace also found numerous carcasses of sharks

By Investors Hub The major U.S. index futures are pointing to a lower opening on Tuesday following the long holiday weekend. Traders may look to cash in on recent gains, which lifted both the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 to record closing highs last week. After trending higher for several sessions, stocks showed a lack of direction throughout the trading day on Friday. Despite the choppy trading, the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 ended the day at new record closing highs. The major averages finished the day on opposite sides of the unchanged line. The Dow edged down 2.67 points

By Simon Ateba When a major contract between DP World Limited and the Republic of Djibouti was signed, everyone seemed to be happy and satisfied with the business deal. Both sides pledged to respect the terms of the agreement, and it seemed back then, that Djibouti, a tiny but important country located in the Horn of Africa, was trying to inject more professionalism and trust in the way it was building its infrastructure and conducting business with the world. Under the terms of the contract, Djibouti granted DP World exclusive rights over port and free zone facilities within Djibouti, including

By Modupe Gbadeyanka The 2017 appropriation bill of Akwa-Ibom State has been signed into law by Governor Udom Emmanuel. The budget is worth N371.3 billion. According to the Governor, the timely passage of the bill was a clear indication of the shared focus of development agenda between the executive and the legislature. “This budget has been christened Budget of Consolidation. Together in unity and in one accord we shall work to consolidate the gain of the previous year. “I pray this brings development, material and economic advancement, unity and growth to our people and the state,” Mr Emmanuel said. Signing

By Dipo Olowookere The allegations raised by BUA International Limited against Dangote Group have been responded to by the latter. In a statement issued by Dangote Group, it described the allegations as “unwarranted and unfounded claims.” According to Dangote Cement Plc, the issues by its competitor “are subject of litigation by several parties.” “Dangote Cement Plc, Africa’s largest cement producer, has been made aware of several misleading media publications one of which was captioned ‘A Cry for Help: Wanton Abuse of Power by a Serving Minister Geared at Sabotaging Operations of BUA Cement’; wherein BUA International Limited (BUA) alleged an

By Aduragbemi Omiyale The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) now has a new Commandant-General and he is Mr Ahmed Abubakar Audi. A statement issued on Thursday by the Director for Press and Public Relations at the Ministry of Interior, Mr Mohammed Manga, disclosed that the appointment of Mr Audi was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari. The statement signed on behalf of the Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, explained that the new Commandant-General was chosen by the President following the retirement of Mr Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu from service. Mr Audi was described as the most qualified officer for