The Katsina State Government has approved 5,000 hectares of arable farmland for ranching as part of efforts to curb the herders and farmers’ clashes in farming villages and communities across the state. Governor Aminu Bello Masari, who disclosed this during the 46th annual conference of the Nigerian Society for Animal Production held at the Federal University Dutsin-ma (FUDMA), Katsina, said ranching system will enable the children of herders to have qualitative education. He said that the only solution to the herdsmen and farmers crisis bedevilling some parts of the country is the establishment of ranches in the states, hence the provision of the 5,000 hectares of land. Masari, represented by his Special Adviser on Livestock and Grazing Reserve, Dr. Lawal Bagiwa, explained that apart from...
File Photo The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) is deploying all its operational energies in enforcing the use of helmets by motorcyclists across the country, its spokesman Mr Bisi Kazeem has said. Kazeem, the Corps Public Education Officer (CPEO) of the FRSC, said this on Monday in Abuja in an interview with newsmen. He stressed that the enforcement had reduced fatalities in the event of crash, adding that motorcyclists were vulnerable road users as most of the crashes involving them were fatal. According to him, the use of helmets reduce damage to sensitive parts of their bodies, including eyes, skull, brain and nose. “As such, the use of helmets does not only make them responsible, but saves their lives in most cases. “Currently, our records show that there is significant improvement in...
Major-General Sagir Yaro has been appointed as the commandant of the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA). The NDA is a military university based in Kaduna. Bashir Jagira, the academy’s spokesperson, in a statement on Wednesday said Yaro is taking over from Jamil Sarham, also a major-general who is now to proceed on a senior research course at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru, Plateau state. Jaguar described Yaro as a seasoned military officer of the Nigerian Army Corps of Engineers, and member of the 36th regular course of the NDA, who has held several appointments cutting across command, staff and instructional. Until his appointment, Yaro was the general managing director, Nigerian Army Welfare Limited by Guarantee (NAWLG). While addressing principal staff o...
Legendary highlife singer, Pa Chris Ajilo, who composed and sang what has become the Lagos anthem, “Eko O Gba Gbere,” has died at the age of 92. David Ekanem, the singer’s caregiver, said Pa Ajilo had been battling malaria since last week. He died in a hospital this morning at 10:30 am Ekanem said, “What happened is that he had malaria last week, so, we gave him malaria medication. The malaria persisted, and as there was no improvement after three days, we rushed him to a hospital at Ilesha, but there was no bed space. “I took him to two hospitals at Ile-Ife as well, but there were no bed spaces there; so, I had to take him back home. A doctor was attending to him at home. Yesterday, I noticed that there was no improvement, so, I had to rush him to another hospital at Ilesha. I was there w...
An environmental activist, Chief Sheriff Mulade, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for relieving service chiefs of their positions and appointing their replacements, saying the development showed that the president has a listening ear given the growing agitation from Nigerians for a change of guard in the nation’s security architecture. This was as he called for the urgent restructuring of the country following what he referred to as “the mismanagement of the nation’s resources, as well as the endless marginalization of the South-South region of the country.” The peace advocate, while reacting to the president’s action, at a media conference in Abuja, expressed optimism that the action would bring improvement in security management in the country. Mulade, who is the National Coordin...
Jadon Sancho says he’s feeling happy and settled at Borussia Dortmund. Sancho has insisted he has put his Manchester United transfer saga behind him and is “raring to go” again at Borussia Dortmund after scoring in the weekend win over RB Leipzig. The 20-year-old winger missed out on a summer switch to Old Trafford as United refused to meet Dortmund’s £108million asking price. “Obviously this season has been very difficult for me personally,” Sancho said. “So I knew when I went away, I just focused on my game and came back raring to go. “I’m working hard every day in training and on the pitch so I’m just happy to get my goals and assists.” After the match, Dortmund boss Edin Terzic discussed Sancho’s contribution and outlined his hopes for further improvement to come. “We spoke a lot but J...
Barely five days to the end of the year 2020, the Central Bank of Nigeria has disclosed that a survey carried out by its Statistics Department revealed that the naira is expected to depreciate further in January 2021. The report, titled, ‘December 2020 Business Expectations Survey Report’ added that there might also be a steady rise in interest rate from December till the next six months. The naira witnessed a sharp fall in recent weeks, reaching its lowest on November 30, 2020, when it exchanged for N500/$1. Since then, the dollar has been hovering between N460 and N470. As of Friday, however, one dollar exchanged for 465 in the parallel market. Also, the Nigerian economy had on November 21 slid into its second recession in five years when the economy shrank again in the third quarter. Th...
The International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) for the improvement of soil health and plant nutrition in West Africa. The agreement will engender multifaceted programmes aimed at promoting growth and development of the agricultural sector in the West Africa sub region. Though West Africa accounts for two per cent of global fertilizer consumption, fertilizer application rates in the region are still low due to logistical challenges, including reliance on imports that may or may not be appropriate for the various soils in the region. IFDC is an independent non-profit organization, operating in 17 countries in Asia and Africa, which combines science-backed innovations, an enabling...