NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA

NALDA collects 25,000 litres of rabbits’ urine for production of fertiliser

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By Bukola Adewumi

The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) says it has collected over 25,000 litres of urine from over 5,000 rabbits for production of organic fertiliser.

Prince Paul Ikonne, Executive Director of NALDA, made this known, in a statement, on Monday in Abuja.

Ikonne said that the agency’s required over 2 million litres of the urine in a year to produce adequate fertilizer for rice and maize farming.

“As of today, NALDA has been able to harvest over 25,000 litres of urine from over 5,000 rabbits to produce organic fertiliser to support NALDA young farmers in their various farms at zero cost.

“All the NALDA farmers who submitted rabbit urine to various collection centres are being paid to encourage them on the viability of rabbit farm business,” he said.

Besides, he said the programme would engage 17,000 young Nigerians in rabbit rearing.

According to Ikonne, the pilot programme, which is ongoing in Imo, Abia, Oyo and Cross Rivers would be extended to other states.

He said that the venture, which required patience, was a lucrative business.

Ikonne added that the organic fertiliser would be distributed to farmers along with spraying machines to increase their yields.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme started in November 2020.

German mother charged with murdering 5 of her children

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A mother from the western German city of Solingen accused of killing five of her six children has been charged with murder on all five counts.

A court spokesman said on Monday.

The woman, aged 27 at the time of the crimes, is thought to have sedated the children with an over the counter drug before suffocating them.

The dead children were discovered at her flat in Solingen on September 3, 2020.

After killing the children, the woman threw herself in front of a train at the main railway station in nearby Dusseldorf. She was seriously injured but survived.

The children were Melina (1), Leonie (2), Sophie (3), Timo (6) and Luca (8).

The woman has since claimed that a stranger broke into her residence and killed the children.

However, the public prosecutor says there is no evidence to back that claim up.(dpa/NAN)

Agric Institute advocates early distribution of inputs to farmers

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By Mustapha Yauri

The Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, has urged government to distribute inputs to farmers early, in order for the beneficiaries to harvest the desired outcomes of such interventions.

Prof. Mohammed-Faguji Ishiyaku, Director of the institute, gave the advice while speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Sunday, in  Zaria.

Ishiyaku noted that often times, the preparations  for the distribution of inputs to farmers was carried out late, thereby  making the intervention getting to the end users sometimes around August.

”By that time (August) the rainy  season has gone far, it will be okay  for  poultry farmers, but for crop  production,  you  have  to start  planning  around  January  to  February.

”By February, you might have finished your procurement; you must have come with the cost of distributing of the inputs to farmers.

”This way, it will go a long way in ensuring that the benefits which government intended is harvested appropriately,’’ he said.

Ishiyaku said that given the fact that the 2021 rainy  season was  around the corner, the institute would not relent on its effort in creating  more awareness  among farming  communities across the country based on its stock of resources, including technology.

According to him, the institute had  improve  seeds  and  management  practices,  which would be presented  to stakeholders at  its  upcoming  annual  review and planning meeting  in April.

Reacting  to the  predictions by NiMET of a mid-season or terminal drought, the director advised farmers  to  plant the  ‘early  to medium maturing’ crop varieties.

He added that  the early to medium maturing crop varieties were those that aligned very well with the length of the predicted rainy  season.

”These   varieties  don’t stay long  enough;  by the  time the  drought  sets  in,  they are  almost  matured, so  the   ravaging  effect   of  the  short  rainy  season  will  be  highly  minimised .

”We have these early and medium maturing seed varieties for sorghum,  maize, beans,  ( cowpea), cotton and  groundnut”, the director said. (NAN)

TAFCAN to host all-comers athletics competition in Lagos

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By Moses Omorogieva

The Track and Field Coaches Association of Nigeria (TAFCAN), Lagos chapter, has fixed March 5, for an all-comers athletics competition for 14 categories of athletics.

The competition will hold at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere.

The Chairman of the association, Alli Abdulazeez confirmed the event to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday.

Coach Abdulazeez said that the competition is aimed at assisting the  athletes to be in better form.

‘“The all- comers competition is self-help event organised by the coaches to help the athletes. This is the second in 2021;  we hope to have three more before July.

“Athletes can’t keep training without a competition to access their performances.

”This competition also help the coaches identify mistakes and proffer solutions, before major trials and competition,” he said.

He however, said that the event slated for 9 a.m., will attract a fee of N100 from all participants.

The coach listed 100 and 200 metres men and women, 400 metres men and women and 5km race walk for  men and women as part of the events that would feature at the competition.

Other events to be featured at the competition include the 800 metres men and women, 1,500 metres men and women, 110 metres hurdles men and women, 100 metres hurdles women, long jump, men and women; triple jump, men and women as well as  shot put men and women, among others. ( NAN)

Shell invests in 4 projects to meet Nigeria’s domestic gas demand

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By Nathan Nwakamma

The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) says it has positioned itself to meet the daily domestic gas demand, projected to hit five billion standard cubic feet by 2022, by developing gas fields.

The super-major energy firm also reiterated its support for the Federal Government’s goal of using Nigeria’s proven gas reserves to drive economic activities for gas-based industrialisation.

A statement issued by Mr Bamidele Odugbesan, Media Relations Manager, quoted Mr Osagie Okunbor, SPDC’s Managing Director,  as saying that the firm remained optimistic on developing Nigeria’s gas potential.

Okunbor, who doubles as the Country Chair of Shell Companies in Nigeria, said the organisation’s support is shown in its multi-billion dollars investments in four of the ‘Seven Critical Gas Development Projects’ of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC).

According to the statement, Okunbor spoke at the Nigerian Gas Association’s 12th International Conference and Awards held virtually on Feb. 25, 2021.

The theme was: Powering Forward: Enabling Nigeria’s Industrialisation via Gas”.

Okunbor said: “Shell has invested in the Assa North Gas Project; four unitised gas fields; Brass Fertilizer Company and the Cluster Development of Okpokunou/Tuomo West (OML 35/62) to support the government’s drive for national development.

“I am very happy that NNPC and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board have taken key roles in these projects, and gthese are positive steps.’’

He commended the government’s recent progress in gas development and stated support for NNPC’s aspiration to grow domestic gas usage in Nigeria to 5 billion cubic feet of gas per day from its current 1.7 billion cubic feet of gas per day by next year.

“Nigeria has launched out on a few audacious and frankly great projects to essentially drive our ambition as a country in this regard.

“Let’s find a way to make sure that we stay on course and begin to put our efforts in a consistent manner towards downstream where our country can get ultimate benefit for gas,” Okunbor said.

He also called for robust discussions on an agreeable price framework in order to attract investments in the country’s rich gas sector.

According to him, a robust pricing framework will be very helpful to unlock Nigeria’s proven gas reserves, especially for power, agriculture and industrial sectors.

Okunbor said the current pricing regime did not quite fit the wider framework of what the gas industry does.

“We want to incenticise methanol and fertilizer production, which is extremely important, to gear up our agricultural sector but the price regime now in that sector is lower than the kind of prices that you have for supply to the power sector and industrial establishments.

“To make domestic gas work, we do need a right price regime. It might just mean that some sectors are supported more than others that can naturally carry themselves.

“The Petroleum Industry Bill provides that framework.” Okunbor said.

He said that gas was by far more important as a catalyst for development.

The Shell Country Chair noted that with more than 200 trillion cubic feet of proven gas and having the world’s ninth largest gas reserves, Nigeria could satisfy both domestic and export markets.

He said that the nation’s full potential in gas could be attained if the right policies and processes were put in place and the country continued to drive those policies, processes and gas infrastructure. (NAN)

FG begins eviction of illegal structures encroaching on projects

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By Grace Alegba

The Federal Government on Sunday began the evacuation of shanties, illegal structures encroaching on its Right of Way (RoW) following the expiration of the ultimatum issued by the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Fashola on Jan. 14 while inspecting the Airport flyover damaged by tanker fire also visited artisans, mechanics and other businesses in the axis.

He had given them two weeks to vacate the RoW of the bridge and the ongoing Apapa-Oshodi-Ojota-Oworonshoki Expressway reconstruction project.

He advised them to relocate to the Matori Industrial Estate in Ladipo purposely built by the Jakande government for commercial activities, warning that they both jeopardised their safety and that of the the highway by being on the road sides.

Enforcing the eviction alongside the Lagos State Task Force, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Olukayode Popoola said the traders did not obey all notices served on them hence the evacuation.

Popoola said after the minister’s visit to the Ladipo axis on Apapa-Oshodi-Ojota-Oworonshoki Expressway project to address the traders, they failed to comply with negotiation terms.

He said that government had embarked on recovery of its Right of Way (RoW) nationwide and also the ongoing Apapa-Oshodi-Ojota-Oworonshoki Expressway reconstruction project being handled by the Dangote Group.

He said beautification was also part of the project and the contractor was ready to move to site to begin work and except the RoW was free, the project would be stalled.

“After the Honorable Minister addressed them, we gave them two weeks, we came and served them notices which expired on the 29th of January, 2020.

” Before that day I called a meeting of all the unions which I also reiterated the Honorable Minister’s directive to every one of them. They all agreed that they will move away.

“Now, after that, the Task Force gave them notices which expired on the 7th of February but as at today they remained adamant, they refused to remove all their properties, goods and vehicles.

” And that is why the Task Force was invited to come here and do the clearing of all the shanties so that we will be able to do our work on the service lane, so as to beautify the RoW and that is the purpose of coming to this place today, ” he said.

He said that the federal government was serious recovery of its RoW across the country and would sustain action in Lagos to ensure illegal businesses do not return to the road.

Popoola added that the enforcement would be extended to Apapa through the entire corridor to Oworonsoki to remove all impediments on the Apapa-Oshodi-Ojota-Oworonshoki Expressway project.

He advised businesses interested in beautification of the highway to approach the office of the minister for approval, adding that, that was the only approved initiative on the RoW.

The controller assured that owners of trucks and abandoned vehicles and other properties could recover them from the Task Force office, but would be made to promise not to return them to the highway.

NAN reports that the Lagos State Task team led by Mr Shola Jejeloye towed abandoned and illegally parked vehicles on the RoW and removed other valuable items before destroying make shift stalls and shanties.

Some business owners who spoke to journalists appealed for government’s understanding of their plight.

Mr Martins Obidiozor, Manager of Unity Ware House along Toyota Bus stop said that the warehouse did not have space for vehicles to offload wares.

Obidiozor begged that his customers heavy duty equipment and goods be allowed to stay some more days on the highway before gradual removal to the warehouse.

Also, Mallam Ismaila Sule, a soft drinks vendor appealed to government to regulate thier businesses instead of evacuating them from the road setback.

“If there is go slow and people want to drink water or soft drinks can they enter the big market? No. That is why we are begging government to help us,” he said. (NAN)

Amaechi inspects Apapa Port to ascertain Lagos-Ibadan rail completion

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By Aisha Cole

The Federal Government has extended the Lagos-Ibadan Modernisation Project from its original destination at Ebutte Meta to Lagos Ports.

The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, made the disclosure while briefing newsmen  after inspecting the three mega stations and seven minor stations of the newly constructed standard gauge railway in Ibadan on Saturday.

According to him, this is to allow for  massive freight movement and free up Lagos roads.

Amaechi was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Magdalene Ajani; Chairman, Governing Board of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Mallam Musa Al-Hassan and the Managing Director of NRC, Fidet Okhiria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that they commenced the inspection from the mega station at Ebutte Meta before proceeding to the Apapa Port station.

To ascertain the level of work at the Port, the minister and his entourage took a train ride to Apapa Port which had been significantly connected to the standard gauge track.

Inside the port, the Minister frowned at the indiscriminate parking of trucks on the old narrow gauge tracks along the corridor.

According to him, inspection of the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail to all the stations is to put finishing touches to the 157km fast rail.

Amaechi said that the China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC), the contractor handling the project, had connected rail line with the country’s premier port in Lagos.

“It is not clear when the project is to be commission as the earlier commissioning date of January 2021 was shifted due to the second wave of COVID-19.

“ Sometime in January,  over 60 workers on the site contracted COVID-19 which stalled the completion of the project.

“ At the moment, it is observed that most of the mini stations are still undergoing finishing touches while the cooling systems have been fixed.

“At the Wole Soyinka Station, Abeokuta, another mega station, the cooling system is yet to be fixed as well as other facilities in the interior parts of the station,” Amaechi said.

He, however, said that the Federal Government was committed to ensuring the completion of all train projects and to ensure that the contract bequeaths to Nigerians a train service that is comparable to anywhere in the world.

The Managing Director of  Nigerian Railway Corporation, Fidet Okhiria said that the current frequency of the Lagos to Ibadan train service will be increased from once daily to twice daily in two weeks time.

According to him, when it commences operation, the passenger train will stop at Agege railway station and Abeokuta enroute Ibadan and back, instead of the present trend of stopping only at Abeokuta after takeoff from Lagos.(NAN)

FG encouraging coal to power initiatives — Minister

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By Folasade Akpan

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr Olamilekan Adegbite, announced on Sunday that the Federal Government had embarked on initiatives to use coal to generate power.

Adegbite, who made the announcement at a forum of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said that coal to power plants were being built to generate power by some companies in parts of the country.

The minister described coal as the cheapest source of power generation in Nigeria.

He said that coal had huge potential but regretted that the world was moving away from fossil fuel, a development that made Nigeria not to get needed support from foreign donors to exploit coal.

“Anytime you mention coal to the World Bank or any donor agency or anybody that is giving money, they say no that they are not going to support coal because there are cleaner technologies than coal.

“But we have come to the realisation that Nigeria has coal in abundance so we must use our coal. So, we are encouraging coal to power locally and it is working.

“The Dangote Group is now using coal in some of their cement plants. They are using coal because coal is cheaper than gas.

“A lot of industries, especially the cement companies are now using coal. Already, we have a few coal to power plants that are coming up.

“The most prominent one is Mostra Energy, which is coming up around Delta State. It is going to develop about 60 megawatts of electricity which will serve the grids. People are asking for more fields now.”

Adegbite noted, however, that while coal-to-power was being encouraged locally, exporting the mineral might not be popular anymore because focus was currently on renewable energy.

He said that cleaner technologies were being developed to remove or contain the harmful effects of coal on human beings. (NAN)

We will eliminate multiple taxation in mining sector – FG

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By Folasade Akpan

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr Olamilekan Adegbite, has assured miners that the Federal Government would eliminate multiple taxation in the mining sector.

Adegbite gave the assurance on Sunday in Abuja at a forum of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said that the mines and steel development ministry was working with the National Economic Council and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to ensure that miners were not made to pay multiple taxes.

Observers have been lamenting what they describe as the destructive impact of multiple taxation to the economy of Africa’s most populous nation.

The minister explained that the Federal Government had sole jurisdiction on the mining sector but that whatever was realised from any state, 13 per cent would be paid to the state as derivation as practiced in the oil sector.

“Right now, the money is small because the sector is not so developed so the states are not paying attention that they are getting the money but we call their attention to it.

“Therefore, if we get royalty for gold from Osun State for instance, before it is distributed into the general purse, Osun State will get 13 per cent first.

“The same thing applies to the gold we get from Zamfara State, the derivation goes first to that state.

“We are making the governors to be aware that if they support the Federal Government, they will of course, make money in turn and we are getting good cooperation from the governors.”

NAN recalls that the Federal Executive Council had in 2020, authorised the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, to directly deduct the federal allocation of any state or local councils found to be imposing illegal taxes on mining activities.

The decision followed a memo by Adegbite, seeking the council’s approval to address major challenges facing the nation’s mining industry. (NAN)

Insurance FC’s coach says there should be level playing field for all clubs

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By Igbaugba Ehigimetor

Benard Ogbe, Chief Coach of Bendel Insurance Football Club, says there should be a level playing field for all clubs participating in the ongoing 2020/2021 Nigeria National League (NNL) season.

Ogbe made the call after his Benin-based side defeated visiting J. Atete FC 2-0 in an NNL match day 4 fixture at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.

“Giving teams a level playing field will ensure a stronger league and enable players to freely express themselves while on duty anywhere in the country,” he said.

Ogbe said the Insurance FC versus J. Atete match was played under a relaxed atmosphere where both teams expressed themselves on the field of play.

He pointed out that the match officials, as well as the visiting side, were not intimidated or harassed.

“My wish is to have a similar atmosphere outside Benin where my players can express themselves without any form of intimidation or harassment from match officials or opponents ‘ supporters,” the coach said.

On his team, Ogbe said it was getting tough for them as they were now “playing catch up” and the battle was going to be fierce.

“We only appeal to our players to remain focused. It is our hope that we will have a friendly atmosphere for us to express ourselves when we visit teams away from home.

“We have not got to where we want to be, but we will continue to push on as we shift attention to our next game,” he stated.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that goals from Bright Osah and Kenneth Eduoze, were enough to seal victory for the “Benin Arsenal” on Saturday.

Insurance FC now have six points from three games, having won two and lost one of their matches.

They will be guests of Apex Krane FC of Agbor on March 7 in one of the week five fixtures. (NAN)

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