By Philip Yatai

The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Wednesday, distributed relief materials to victims of flood in Yangoji community, Kwali Area Council, Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the items distributed included food and nonfood items, such as rice, maize, spaghetti, macaroni and cooking oil.
Others are mattresses, mosquito nets, plastic buckets, soap, cups cooking stuff, pots,wrappers and building materials – cement, zink, nails and ceilings.
The Director-General of the agency, Dr Abass Idriss, said during the event at the palace of the Village Head, that the gesture was to cushion the effects of the flood on the victims.
Idriss said that the flood, which occured in the early hours of July 4, destroyed 70 houses, washed away several farmlands, properties and affected more than180 people.
He advised residents of the community, particularly those living on flood plains to relocate to higher ground to avoid reoccurrence.
He also urged the residents to heed to early warnings by relevant agencies on eminent flooding to prevent flooding.
“People must learn to stop building houses on water ways and dumping of refuse in drainages to prevent flood,” he said.

Mr Olusade Adesola, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), said while handing over the items to some of the victims, that the gesture was to help the victims to recover from the shocks.
Adesola added that the support would assist the victims to rebuild their lives while finding lasting solution to the recurring flood in the area.
He expressed President Bola Tinubu’s sympathy, adding that the relief materials was his way of saying, “I feel your pain and agony” .
He promised that the FCTA would work with relevant agencies to address some of the causes of the flood.
He commended the Chairman of Kwali Area Council, Mr Danladi Chiya, for the support, and urged him to establish Local Emergency Management Committee in the area.
According to him, the measure will ensure a well coordinated approach to emergency response in the area.
Earlier, Chiya thanked the FCTA and FEMA for the support, which he described as “very timely”, to ease the pains of the victims.
Also, the Village Head of the community, Mr Dantani Chindawa, said that apart from flood, the community was equally faced with security challenges.
Chindawa said that many of the more than 12,000 people of the community were forced to relocate to other communities due to security challenges.
He urged the FCTA to deploy more security personnel to improve security in community.
One of the victims, Mrs Dinatu Daniel, a mother of three, said that their house was destroyed by the flood and washed away their belongings and other valuables.
She commended FEMA and the FCT Administration for coming to their aid, saying ‘it will go along way in reducing their pains. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza

By Salisu Sani-Idris

Vice President (VP) Kashim Shettima, has mourned the death of the Emir of Koko, in Koko Local Government Area (LGA) of Kebbi, Malam Muhammadu Bello.

In a statement by Mr Olusola Abiola, Director, Information, Office of the vice president, Shettima described the late Emir as a peaceful traditional ruler who sacrificed a lot for the state and Nigeria at large.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Shettima’s condolence message was delivered to the late Emir’s family by a delegation led by Rep. Usman Zannah, representing Kaga, Magumeri and Gubio Federal Constituency.

Also on the delegation were NPA’s Executive Directors; Ibrahim Umar (Engineering and Technical Services), and Ms Adenrele Adesina (Finance and Administration).

Others were some VP’s aides, Sheikh Goni Abatcha, Ahmed Ningi, the Chiroma of Borno, and Alhaji Bakari Ali-Kotoko, among others.

The delegaion equally commiserated with the royal family and the Kebbi Emirate Council at the behest of the vice president.

Shettima, who condoled with the Koko family and the Managing Director, Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko, in particular, over the death of his father, said the late Emir was a rallying figure who would be greatly missed.

He also said the late Emir, who was a great scholar, teacher and one-time member of the Governing Board of the University of Maiduguri during his lifetime, demonstrated visionary leadership that was very evident to all.

Shettima prayed the Almighty Allah to grant the late Emir Al-Jannah Firdaus and comfort the people of Kebbi at “this time of his demise”.

The delegation also paid condolence visits to Gov. Nasir Idris of the state, and the Chairman of the Kebbi Council of Chiefs and Emir of Gwandu, retired Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Bashar, at his Palace.

The governor, the MD of NPA and the Emir of Gwandu all thanked Shettima for sending the high-powered delegation. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani/Vincent Obi

Lagos CDAC wants all CDAs to partner for grassroots development

By Adepote Arowojobe

The Lagos State Community Development Advisory Council (CDAC) on Tuesday urged all Community Development Associations in the state to synergise for the progress and development of the grassroots.

It made the appeal during an interactive session organized by the Ikorodu Community Development Committee (CDC) at the Ikorodu Local Government Secretariat, Lagos.

The event was organised in conjunction with the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABSCA), Lagos State Waste Management Authority and CLEAN Eye Foundation.

Speaking at the event, Alhaji Azeez Amuzat, Chairman, CDAC, urged all Community Development Associations (CDAs) to work together as partners in intelligence gathering and in ways that would benefit the people at the grassroots.

Amuzat also advised the CDAs to work in synergy to ensure that government policies and programmes are disseminated properly to bring lots of development to the grassroots.

“The CDAs in Lagos state should work in synergy on information sharing to curb insecurity because they are closer to the people.

“They should work together so that the grassroots will benefit maximally from government policies and programmes,” he said.

Also speaking, Mr Lukman Shonibare, chairman of Ikorodu Community Development Committee (CDC), said the essence of the interactive session was to sensitise members on how to solve the numerous challenges encountered by the CDAs.

“We are bringing in policy from the state government ministries and parastatals to the grassroots.

“Part of the reason we brought LABSCA to this session is because of defective houses, which in most cases we have already reported but nothing has been done.

“We brought the immigration because of the ECOWAS travelling brought to the community, Police for insecurity and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for drug-related cases.

“You can not just stay at home and keep looking at how things are going. After this meeting, the CDA executives will disseminate what they have learnt here,” he said

Earlier, Mr Wasiu Adesina, Executive Chairman of Ikorodu Local Government, urged the associations to reorganise themselves and comply with laws of the CDAC of Lagos State.

Adesina said the CDAs should ensure that the Agriculture Departments of their local governments are made the third party signatory to their accounts.

Mrs Simisola Orisaya-Taiwo, Director, LABSCA, urged members of the association to always get permission from the agency for their building projects to prevent building collapse.

She also advised them to always follow the policy on building construction.

NAN reports that awards of excellence were given to the best CDA and the best performing executives. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Oluyinka Fadare

By Salisu Sani-Idris

The Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and
Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) social protection structures in 36 states and the FCT can effectively coordinate the distribution of the proposed Federal Government palliatives across the country.

Prof. Foluso Okunmadewa, World Bank Task Team Leader for NG-CARES, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Monday in Abuja.

”The CARES programme is in all the 36 states and the FCT. It is being supported by the Federal Government and the World Bank both in terms of financial resources and technically assistance.

”States are currently using their own implementing units to deliver services and goods to the poor and vulnerable in their states in all the three major areas that the programme supports,” he said.

Okunmadewa also said that states have the manpower, institutions and structures to be able to support the poor and vulnerable the way they are currently structure.

” They have social protection structures, they van transfer cash because they have a very solid registry managed by the states planning ministries and they have a database of the poor.

” They also have a good mechanism, one of the best in the world for identifying the poor and vulnerable which they have been using since 2015 and up to date every state have been able to use it for several programme that international partners are even supporting in all the 36 states and the FCT,” he said.

Similarly, the don said states have staff that are trained in agriculture to support farmers and they also have mechanism to Micro and Small Enterprises (MSMEs).

” Some of them are partnering with the Bank of Industry to provide assistance to MSMEs. So, they already have shock responsive mechanisms.

”The only thing that is lacking is resources in the hands of these states to cover more ground and this is where the world bank and development partners come in

Also speaking, the National Coordinator of NG-CARES, Dr Abdulkarim Obaje, said the structures that are being used to implement the NG-CARES programmes are owned by state governments and have the paraphernalia in terms of institutions, staff and funding to a large extent.

” The NG-CARES formation was brought about by the governor’s themselves, they requested for it,” he said.

Obaje said that the removal of fuel subsidy and the palliatives being planned, are some ”shock responsive mechanisms” that the NG-CARES structures being state-government owned initiative, have the capacity to manage.(NAN)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza

By Salisu Sani-Idris

Vice President Kashim Shettima has disclosed that Nigeria has mobilised more than half a billion dollars for innovative, profitable, equitable and sustainable food system transformation initiative.

Mr Olusola Abiola, Director, Information,
Office of the Vice President, in a statement said that Shettima made this known while chairing a high-level meeting on the first day of the UN Food Systems Summit in Rome, Italy.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was declared open by the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guteress.

Shettima explained that the funds were mobilised through domestic resources, multilateral development banks, international financial institutions and climate funds by leading agro-businesses.

He said that the funds would be used for financing food system transformation, development of Nigeria’s agro value chain and the setting up of Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones.

“In this event, the Government of Nigeria will be showcasing its Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) as a unique example of a successful partnership between producers, the public sector and private operators.

“The VCDP, which is co-funded by Nigeria and IFAD, has empowered vulnerable farmers and youth to engage in commercial partnerships with some of the biggest food processing and marketing firms in the world such as OLAM,“ Shettima said.

OLAM is operating in more than 60 countries with an annual revenue of about 39.8 billion dollars.

While speaking on the government’s vision about ending hunger, the vice president noted that building on the success of the VCDP, the Federal Government was determined to empower Nigeria’s rural small holders and operators, youth and women living below the poverty line to enable them to take advantage of the new Special Processing Zones.

Also on the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ), Shettima said it brought together local governments, IFAD, AfDB, IsDB, GCF, OLAM and other private actors alongside the government of Nigeria for transformative financing of food systems that leaves no-one behind.

Similarly, while featuring in the panel discussion with the Prime Minister of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud; Deputy President of Kenya, Rigathi Gachagua; and Prime Minister of Niger Republic, Ouhoudou Mahamadou, Shettima said President Bola Tinubu was determined to transform the concept and meaning of modern governance” by demonstrating commitment towards the food system in the country.

“President Tinubu hit the ground running from day one of his administration, which is barely two months in office and has declared a state of emergency in food security and took it as a livelihood item within the National Security Council.”

On removing impediments to economic recovery, he said “we had two albatrosses around our necks, subsidy on petrol and multiple exchange rates system.

“We withdrew the subsidy on petrol from day one, just like President Ruto did in Kenya.

“To mitigate the effects of the subsidy removal, the government embarked on the immediate release of grains and fertilizers.

“A commodity marketing board has been put in place to continuously review and monitor the prices of food items. Along this way, the president has already approved the infusion of huge quantum of funds towards repositioning of our security architecture.

“We have similar problems with Somalia and Kenya, especially in the Northeast and Northwest regions of our country and so we are repositioning our security architecture to provide support for farms and farmers,“ the vice president said.

Earlier, while declaring the Summit open, the UN Secretary General, Guteress commended the participating countries for their commitment to addressing the problems of hunger and malnutrition.

“This is the gathering about food system. It is essentially to fulfill those basic of human rights, the right to food. It is outrageous that people continue to suffer in the world of plenty,” he said.

The Vice President also had bilateral meeting with the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. Both leaders discussed issues about the development of the two countries.

Shettima was accompanied to the meeting by Nigeria’s Ambassador to Italy, Mfawa Abam and the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Sen. Ibrahim Hadejia, and other senior government officials.

In attendance were the President of IFAD, Dr Alvaro Lario, Muhammad Suleiman Al Jasser, President of Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the Vice President of AfDB, Mrs Hassatau N’Sele.

Others were the Vice President of OLAM International, Mr Reji George and the Vice President, Commodity Alliance Forum (Representative of farmers) Mrs Ejim Lovelyn. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Kingsley Kubeyinje

By Salisu Sani-Idris

Vice President, Sen. Kashim Shettima will on Sunday depart Abuja to represent President Bola Tinubu at two major international Summits in Rome, Italy and St Petersburg, Russia.

Mr Olusola Abiola, Director, Information,
Office of the Vice President, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Sunday.

Abiola stated that at the Rome event, Shettima would join other global leaders for the first Stocktaking Moment (STM) Summit themed “Transforming Food Systems for People, Planet and Prosperity,” holding from Monday, July 24 to Wednesday, July 26.

According to him, during the summit, Shettima would chair a high-level session themed “Innovative Financing for Food System Transformation: the Case of Nigeria”

He added that the side event titled ”Scaling up Multi Stakeholders Collaboration and Investment in the Implementation of Food Systems Transformation Pathways in Nigeria,”

Abiola also said that the event is being organised in collaboration with the Rome-based UN Agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and World Food Programme (WFP), as well as the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub and wider UN system.

“Shettima will then proceed from Rome to St. Petersburg in Russia to represent the President at the Russia-Africa Summit scheduled from Wednesday, July 26 to Saturday, July 29.

” While in Russia, the Vice President will join other political and business leaders at the 2nd Russia–Africa Summit and Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum focused on strategising to enhance relations between Russia and the African continent, among other benefits.

” Also, Vice President Shettima will participate in bilateral meetings with representatives of relevant Russian senior government officials and business leaders to discuss relations between Russia and Nigeria.” he said.

According to him, Shettima, who will be accompanied by senior government officials from Ministries, Departments and Agencies, is expected back in the country at the end of the week. (NAN)

Edited by Yinusa Ishola/Deji Abdulwahab

By Philip Yatai

The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has placed its emergency response team on high alert over an anticipated heavy to moderate rainfall on Sunday.

The Director-General of the Agency, Dr Abbas Idriss, stated this in a statement signed by the agency’s Head of Public Affairs, Ms Nkechi Isa, in Abuja on Friday.

Idriss said that a weather forecast by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMET), had indicated that FCT and its neighbouring states would experience heavy to moderate rainfall on Sunday.

He added that the forecast also predicted moderate to heavy rains in parts of Katsina, Kano, Bauchi, Plateau and Taraba states.

He said that NiMET also warned of possible flash floods, riverine flooding, strong winds, and soil erosion as well as thunder and lightning due to the anticipated heavy downpour.

“The forecast also anticipates displacement of people due to floods, outbreak of water borne diseases and damages to infrastructure,” he said.

To ensure a quick and effective emergency response, Idriss said that the agency had placed its search and rescue team on high alert.

The D-G said that he had equally directed an update of the agency’s flood contingency plans to ensure maximum results.

He appealed to residents to heed to the early warning and avoid driving or wading into a pool of water during the rains.

He also said that all blocked drains should be cleared, and advised people who reside on water channels to relocate.

“I advise residents to always dial the 112 emergency toll-free number in the event of an emergency, to enable us to respond on time,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Idris Abdulrahman

Palliative

By Ahmed Ubandoma/Cecilia Ijuo

Sen. Shehu Sani, has urged President Bola Tinubu to give 25 per cent fuel subsidy palliative to Persons with Disabilities (PWD).

Sani said this when he led leaders of PWD from Kaduna State on a visit to the Executive Secretary, National Commission for Persons with Disabilities(NCPWD) in Abuja on Friday.

The former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central, said the 25 per cent consideration had become necessary in view of the impact of economic challenges on them.

He said PWD in Nigeria, who were over 35 million, were not only grappling with disabilities but also poverty, adding that “they face double tragedy”.

He said he was optimistic that when the palliative would be released to the commission on their behalf, it would be judiciously distributed.

On challenges,  Sani said from interactions with management of the commission, it was obvious that funding was a major problem.

“I am happy that you have been able to carry out your mandate as a commission even with the meagre resources.

“I commend your hard work and that of the management  in ensuring that the mandate of the commission was followed through.

“My relationship with them is not political but a matter of personal conviction,” he said.

He further said, “It has always been a passion to ensure that persons with disabilities are given the opportunity to contribute to national development.

“I have always enquire to ensure that the commission is directly connected to the people it was created for.

“I heard that some people with disabilities find it difficult to get in touch with the commission.

“So, other states can key into this initiative as we have done today.”

The Executive Secretary, NCPWD, Mr James Lalu, called on Nigerians to support the commission to enable it carry out its responsibilities.

He said the call had become necessary because of the plight of persons with disabilities in Nigeria.

“One could rarely see a family without persons with disabilities.

“As such, we are calling on well meaning Nigerians to support this commission to properly serve those it was established for.

“We do not need handouts.  We are smart and intelligent and when given the opportunity we will contribute to the development of Nigeria,”he said.

The executive secretary commended the Federal Government for providing job opportunities for some persons with disabilities.
He said, “over 200 people with disabilities have been offered jobs in the public service and they have started work.

“I commend former President Muhammadu Buhari for his support and also President Bola Tinubu, who has started carrying us along.”

He further commended Sen. Sani for his contribution towards the passage of the bill that established the commission.

“I remember then in the 9th National Assembly when we were always coming out to protest the non passage of our bill.

“At a point the bill got missing and Sen. Sani helped to find it then followed through until it was passed and assented to.

“For this we remain eternally grateful and we are ready to partner with him and his network of friends to impact the lives of persons with disabilities.”

Lalu said the commission was working to ensure better living condition for persons with disabilities.

He assured the delegation from Kaduna state that the commission would assist them where necessary.

“I appreciate your visit and I will be visiting Kaduna, which is the head office of National Disability Forum,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NCPWD was established following passage of Persons with Disabilities Act in 2018.

The commission was established to ensure that all government programmes and services are accessible to persons with disabilities.

It was also established to provide awareness on the rights of persons with disabilities among others.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Maharazu Ahmed