Osinbajo bags CAN awards, calls for justice, equity, fairness

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has urged Nigerian Christian leaders and groups to preach fairness and equity relentlessly and advocates freedom of worship, justice, and the rule of law.

He said this is crucial for a more united and peaceful society.

Osinbajo said this on Saturday evening in Abuja after being honoured with the Christian Association of Nigeria’s Award of Excellence at a Dinner and Awards night organized to mark the 45th anniversary of the association.

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Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, disclosed this on Sunday in a statement titled ‘Fairness, equity, respect for rights of others fundamental to peace, security, says Osinbajo’.

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In his remarks after receiving the award, the Vice President noted that “fairness, equity and respect for the rights of others are fundamental to peace and security,” hence Christian leaders at all levels must strive to promote those virtues despite the challenges.

He said, “We must continue to let the important truth be known that Christ did not come to establish a religion or to condemn men, but to show all men that his own righteousness, not our righteousness or performance, is the qualification for eternal life.

“That the gospel commands consideration for the views of others, treating them as we would wish to be treated; non-violent communication, that our words must be words of grace seasoned with salt.

“We must, as an organisation and as individuals, remain constant and relentless advocates of freedom of worship, respect for human rights, fairness, justice and the rule of law.”

Commending the works of current and past leadership of CAN in promoting religious tolerance, Osinbajo said “CAN has not only been continually faithful to its founding vision, but it has also become a veritable force for peace, unity and social justice.”

According to him, “pursuant to the gospel, CAN has consistently spoken up on behalf of the ‘least of these’ in our society.

“Importantly, the current and past leadership of CAN have acted in full realization and recognition of their roles as pivotal stakeholders alongside the Government, private sector in nation-building.

“We are proud of the role of the moral compass of society and interlocutor for peace among the different faiths that CAN has played and continues to play in our nation.”

Continuing, the VP noted that “we are also proud of the enormous work that the current executive of CAN, ably led by His Eminence, Supo Ayokunle, has done.

“I am aware of your collaboration with the leadership of the Islamic and other faiths, to reconcile where there are conflicts, to pacify where there has been offence, and to reprimand where there have been misdeeds. Well, done, and congratulations.”

Speaking on dousing religious and ethnic tensions in the society, Osinbajo said “as we have seen in the past few years not just in Nigeria but all over the world, there is a growing religious and ethnic chauvinism.

“An almost intemperate, vehement and often violent dismissal of the views of people of other persuasions without adequate consideration. At the same time, there is the rise of identity and cultural politics. Brethren, the answer to hate, intolerance and conflict is the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Other award recipients include former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo; former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha; former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; several State governors; faith leaders, including past Presidents and General Secretary of CAN.

The Imam who, during an attack in Barkin Ladi Plateau State on June 23, 2018, saved the lives of over 200 Christians, Abdullahi Abubakar, also received a special CAN recognition.

Source: Punch

Lai Mohammed turbaned as kakakin Kebbi

The Emir of Argungu, HRH Sumaila Mera, on Sunday conferred the traditional title of Kakakin Kebbi (Cultural Ambassador of Kebbi) on the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the turbaning, which took place at the forecourt of the emir’s palace in Argungu town, Kebbi State, was on the sideline of the 2021 World Tourism Day to be celebrated in Birnin-Kebbi on Monday.

Speaking at the event, the Emir said that the title was conferred on the minister because of his “courage and strength of character in projecting the image of Nigeria locally and internationally.”

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Specifically, the Emir said the emirate honoured the minister with the title as a show of appreciation for his effort in promoting the Argungu Fishing and Cultural Festival to attain international status.

NAN reports that the annual festival, which attracts local and international participants and tourists, was in 2017 listed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

The Emir also commended past Ministers of Culture and Tourism for their efforts in promoting the festival nationally since 1970.

“Traditionally, Kakakin is an instrument which attracts attention. From the authority of the Emir and the entire people of the emirate, it has now been handed over to the recipient.

“The bearer of the instrument is the trumpet of the Argungu Emirate and he will be traditionally referred to as Kakakin. This gesture will be permanently recorded in the annal of our history that the minister is the Kakakin Kebbi.

“On behalf of the entire people of the emirate, I welcome you most warmly and I want to assure you that we will involve you in all matters of importance in the emirate,” he said

The minister thanked the emir and the entire people of the emirate for their affection and generosity in bestowing the honour and title of Kakakin Kebbi on him.

“As the cultural ambassador of Kebbi, I will endeavour that we develop all the festivals in the four emirates in the state in a manner that they will be globally recognised

“I will also work assiduously to ensure these festivals become magnet to unite Nigeria and make the state a global tourist destination,” he said.

The minister said the choice of Kebbi for the 2021 celebration of the World Tourism Day was not just by coincidence but well planned and thought out.

According to him, Kebbi State is one of the frontline cultural and tourism destinations and all the four emirates in the state have sellable cultural heritages.

He appealed to the private sector to invest in culture and festivals, stressing that they were the heritage that would be handed over to the children unborn.

Source: NAN

“Kaduna State Will Be a Big Market” – Emir Sanusi

The former Emir of Kano, North-West NIgeria, Muhammad Sanusi II, has said that Kaduna State will be a big market very soon and it will encourage Investment.

He made this assertion while speaking at the ‘Day Two’ of the Kaduna State Investment Summit on Friday.

While calling on the government to encourage market access, he said, “If Kaduna state government continues with its e-government plan it will be a big market itself and it will encourage investment which are all knowledge economy aspiration and a shift in government spending to match the priority,” he said.

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According to him, that job creation in a knowledge economy is not about creating jobs in Kaduna but equipping citizens with skills to participate in the global economy. “You have global platforms now that enable people with development skills to find employment anywhere in the world which is the future of knowledge economy,” he said.

According to him, today, Nigeria is having difficulties in oil production and noted that the product is now being rejected globally because there is no longer a future in carbon.

Sanusi who was a former Governor of the Central Bank pointed out that, the future lies in a knowledge-based economy, however, lamented that, Nigeria is far behind many African countries in the innovation index and ranking 114th globally.

According to him, while Ghana with a smaller economy invests more in education, Nigeria spends seven per cent of its budget in that direction, saying that, only eight of every 100 Nigerians who start primary school, complete university.

“Globally, work is being redefined. 30 to 40 per cent of workers in developed economies will need to significantly upgrade their skills by 2030. And what are the major drivers of this redefinition? ICT and remote working, which we have seen even here with COVID.

‘There is increased automation and artificial intelligence. Very soon, robots will take over work in most countries and those who would have hob are those who operate the robots or manufacture the robots or service the robot.

“And you have decarbonisation. For us in Nigeria, the enclave economy that we have, the so-called goose that lays the golden egg is about to die. There will be no eggs. The future is not in the carbons.

“A few months ago, Germany was able to produce enough renewable energy for the entire country’s need. Today, we are having difficulties selling Nigerian oil. So, not only are we having problems producing, even when we produce, the market is not there.

“So, this is forcing a change, and for us a country that depends on oil, things need to change.

“Nigeria is ranked 114th in the global innovation index. We are lower than other African countries such as Kenya, Rwanda and Senegal. We are in fact ranked 14th in sub-Saharan Africa. I think we should have this reality check and know where we are as a country. Let’s stop calling ourselves the giant of Africa because we are the giant with clay feet.

“Countries like Kenya, Rwanda and Senegal are ahead of us. I am not even talking about South Africa. Our expenditure on education is only seven per cent of the budget. We are spending less on education than Ghana; I am not talking about as per the percentage of the budget; in absolute terms, even though the Ghanaian economy is much smaller than the Nigerian economy, even though the Ghanaian government revenue is less than Nigerian revenue, Ghana is spending more on education than Nigeria.

“And we are surprised that Industries are moving to Ghana. We are surprised that the Ghanaian President has become the leading President in Africa? We are not investing in education and human capital.

“We have a 68 per cent missing job requirement and the major areas being IT, communication and decision making. And the completion rate between entry into primary one and completing university is eight per cent, meaning that out of every 100 pupils who go into primary school, only eight come out of university. And out of those eight, nine per cent, which is one of the eight will get a job.

“So, this is the reality in addition to what is happening globally. Now, digitization to level the playing field is required, if we are deliberate and we shift from consumption to value creation. But, part of our problem is that, even when we have the solution at our feet, we do not take it,” he said.

Sanusi also noted that there is a need for skill creation for the young people which will create enabling environment for economic growth and development.

He asserted that data is one of the most crucial support that can be given to entrepreneurs for innovation.

“If somebody wants to innovate in the health sector it is to have data of people who use medical service, the location of the hospital to create and innovate solutions that will provide easy access to health care delivery and education.

He also stressed there is a need to give data access to the private sector adding that data support is very important and market access.

Source: Tribune online

Electricity: Nigeria to provide 5m households by 2030 – President Buhari

By Habila Victor

President Muhammadu Buhari has said Nigeria is working on an ambitious Energy Plan towards reducing the energy shortcomings by year 2030.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media, Femi Adesina, in a statement on Friday disclosed that Buhari spoke in line with Nigeria’s role as a Global Theme Champion for the Energy Transition, theme of the High-Level Dialogue on Energy on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The president said: “Nigeria’s commitment to a just transition is reflected in our ambitious Energy Compact, which includes the Government’s flagship project to electrify five million households and twenty million people using decentralized solar energy solutions.

“This is a major first step towards closing our energy access deficit by 2030.

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“Nigeria’s commitment is also reflected in the development of our Energy Transition Plan, which was developed with support of the UK COP26 Energy Transition Council.”

The Nigerian leader called for support from developed countries to unlock the financing needed to accelerate a just energy transition for all.

“The focus of our discussions on transition must now evolve how we help countries develop detailed energy transition plans and commitments to mobilize enough financing to empower countries to implement those plans,” he said.

According to him, the scale of financing required for Nigeria to achieve net-zero, amounts to over $400 billion across the Nigerian economy in excess of business-as-usual spending over the next 30 years.

“This breaks down to $155 billion net spend on generation capacity, $135 billion on transmission and distribution infrastructure, $75 billion on buildings, $21 billion on industry and $12 billion on transport.”

The president, however, said that gas would continue to have a big role to play before it is phased out, explaining that solid fuel cooking is still wreaking havoc in Africa:

“As a global leader on the energy transition, it is imperative that I flag a major risk to development that stems from the current narrative around the energy transition, particularly on the role of gas and the lack of financing.

“Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan has laid out our roadmap to reach net-zero and highlights the scale of the effort required, which includes the development and integration of renewables into current grid infrastructure at tremendous scale and electrification of all sectors.

“This is challenging for any country, especially a developing country. On our development objectives, gas will have a key role to play here for some years before being phased out,” he said.

President Buhari noted that these plans must also take into account, the provision of access to electricity and clean cooking solutions for those in Nigeria and around the world currently without access.

According to him, an often-overlooked point is the essential role of gas in addressing clean cooking challenges.

“Globally there are 2.6 billion people who lack access to clean cooking – which is unacceptable.

“Even more concerning is that solid fuel cooking in Africa causes almost 490,000 premature deaths annually, making it the second largest health risk in Africa,’’ he further maintained.

Kenyan Court Declares Being Housewife a Full-time Payable Job

A Kenyan High Court judge, Teresia Matheka has declared that being a housewife is a full-time job that should attract some form of compensation, according to a report by TopNaija.

A housewife is a woman whose work is running or managing her family’s home—caring for her children; buying, cooking, and storing food for the family; buying goods that the family needs for everyday.

The judge who was presiding over a matrimonial property dispute, said that it is unfair for courts to rule that housewives do not contribute anything to the financial progress of the family.

The complainant is said to be a divorced lady who sought to have their family property sold and the money shared equally between her and her ex-husband.

The Judge stated that housewives should not say they don’t work since they provide services in the home that are otherwise outsourced and paid for. She added that it is unfair to only rely on seen income and the mindset that one has to contribute money to the marriage to find value.

Matheka said; “It is easy for the spouse working away from home and sending money to lay claim to the whole property purchased and developed with that money by the spouse staying at home and taking care of the children and the family. That spouse will be heard to say that the other one was not employed so they contributed nothing.

“Raising children is a full-time job that families pay a person to do. Cooking and cleaning as well. Hence, for a woman in employment who has to balance childbearing and rearing this contribution must be considered.”

The judge also urged her counterparts to consider the 9 months of pregnancy when presiding over cases of matrimonial disputes. She opined that carrying a pregnancy is equivalent to working, noting that some couples have lately resorted to hiring surrogate mothers to bear children for them.

Passing judgement on the case brought before her, Matheka ruled that the property be sold and money shared equally, or one of the spouses buy out the other party by paying half the value of the property that the party is entitled to.

100,000 PWDs to get scholarships in 2022 — Disability Commission

The National Commission for Persons with Disability has said over 100,000 People Living With Disabilities are to be awarded scholarships in 2022, to study within and outside the country.

The Executive Secretary of the Commission, James Lalu, stated this when Mr Chike Okogwu, a physically challenged activist and anchor of ‘The Specials TV Show’ paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

Lalu said that in order to empower the people, the first thing to do is to give them education, and when the people are properly educated, they will be empowered and knowledgeable about their responsibilities and challenges.

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He said the NCPWD in partnership with the Universal Basic Education Commission to see how to make education attractive to PWDs.

“We have an estimated six million children with disability today in Nigeria that are out of school. Adoption of the school environment is one of the important areas.

“Also, provision of assistive technology and devices for PWDs to be able to go to school is important, this is because some PWDs in rural areas cannot go to school due to lack of wheelchairs or mobility.

”The Commission is bracing up to provide scholarships for a minimum of 100,000 PWDs in 2022. This is by virtue of our commitment to the 2022 budget, and we are committed to providing the scholarships.

“It will cut across all states of the federation. We will provide an open ground for the selection of the persons based on merit and we will make sure they get these scholarships,” Lalu said.

He further explained that it would be on a continuous basis, as the Commission wants to see more PWDs occupy most of the tertiary institutions to study.

Lalu regretted that PWDs were being discriminated against in most healthcare centres across the country in contravention of provisions in the Disability Act.

“This is because the Act makes provision for free healthcare services for children with mental disability and other types of disabilities.

”However, we are partnering with health management organisations in the country to provide Health Insurance Schemes for thousands of PWDs. We are going to inaugurate the scheme later this year and start properly in 2022.

“PWDs are also being carried along in areas of agriculture, Conditional Cash Transfer and N-Power. Over 50,000 PWDs are benefiting from CCT and over 40, 000 are enrolled in N-Power.

” I am very positive that, the era of discrimination against PWDs is over, as the NCPWD is ever ready to ensure that their livelihoods and prosperity is enhanced, without compromise,” Lalu said.

Source: punch

Hosting FFK at Aso Villa evidence of Buhari’s capacity to forgive -Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has explained why his principal hosted an unsparing critic of the regime and former minister Femi Fani-Kayode in Aso Villa following his defection to the ruling All Progress Congress.

Adesina wrote:

Not a small ruckus has been caused by the defection of former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode (FFK), from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) last week.

An icing on the cake, or the salt added to injury (depending on which side you are), was his reception at the Presidential Villa by Muhammadu Buhari, father of the nation. The development has been rocking the polity for many days.

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FFK is by no means a miscellaneous personality, and whatever he does, or does not do, attracts loads of attention.
He was a founding member of the APC, before he ported back to the PDP. And he did not leave quietly. He ruffled feathers and stirred up the mud. He became a rabid hater of his former party and its members.

Between last week and now, vitriol poured by FFK on anybody with the slightest affinity to APC has been dug up serially. He has said things straight from the gutters, things that the natural man would call unforgivable and unpardonable. Against President Buhari, the first family, Yusuf Buhari whom he wished had died when the latter had an almost fatal bike accident, APC as a party, the government, leaders of the party, groups and individuals. Even this writer has suffered horrid descriptions from FFK in many write-ups.

Yes, he even said he would rather die than return to APC, but last week, he returned—well and alive.
Naturally, a lot of loyal APC members are hopping mad that FFK was readmitted into the party. And not only that, he got back at the highest level. Not at his ward in Ile-Ife, Osun State, but the triumphal entry was at the Presidential Villa, with President Buhari himself as the host.

I understand the umbrage taken against the development by teeming APC supporters. It’s the natural thing to do. But then, having vented spleen, raised dust and almost brought down the roof, the next thing is to isolate the issues dispassionately.

With the bile displayed towards President Buhari and his family over the years, how did the man find the grace to have received FFK? How was he convinced? Who did the convincing? What were the extenuating factors? How? When? Why?

By agreeing to the readmission of FFK to APC as the leader of the party, and hosting him at the Villa, President Buhari displayed amazing capacity to forgive, to show mercy, and let bygones be bygones. How many of us can do that? Not many.

Remember William Shakespeare in Merchant of Venice:

“The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blessed him that gives and him that takes…
It is an attribute of God Himself.”

That was what Buhari did to FFK. He showed him mercy, dropping like gentle rain from heaven, when he could have otherwise spat into the sky, collecting the spittle with his own face. Was that not what me and you would have done? Confess. We would have told FFK to go to hell, and stay there. But Buhari didn’t. He displayed an attribute of God: forgiveness.

One of the lies that had been serially told against the President was his alleged unforgiving spirit, a falsehood sold to Nigerians by anti-Buhari forces since the days of military rule. The lie traveled for so long, till it was eventually overtaken by the truth in one day. Nigerians saw through the facade, and elected Buhari as President in 2015. Re-elected him with wider margin in 2019.

I have worked with the President for over six years. And I have seen amazing things in terms of accommodation and capacity to forgive. I have visited him at home many times in the evenings, only to find at dinner table with him people who had been abusing his forefathers on television earlier in the day. This President has a capacity to forgive, and forget. And make peace. That was what he displayed in the case of FFK. Nothing short of divine attribute, which me and you should covet and seek to approximate.

True, the brother of the prodigal son in the Good Book was unhappy, after his sibling had engaged in riotous living, squandered his inheritance, and came back home in penury. And the father received him with glee, and slaughtered the fatted calf in celebration.

The brother was indignant. He accused the father of bad faith, saying he had remained faithful and loyal, and not once did the father give him a goat to kill, and make merry with his friends.

That is the case of the APC members who have been unhappy at the reception given FFK. He did not deserve it, they claim. True. But how many things don’t we deserve, but which eventually come our way? That is the inscrutable nature of God, and we should not begrudge ourselves, or anybody else. How many things have come your way, which you really don’t deserve? But God gave those things to you, nevertheless. Same with FFK.

I think those screaming blue murder and lamenting the injustice and unfairness of it all should hold their peace. They have made their points, and should let things be. Enough! FFK is back, let sleeping dogs lie. He may stay this time round, as he claims to have had a Damascus road experience, which turned Saul to Paul.

Many times, FFK has used unprintable words against me. He has deployed phrases from the nether region against me. But after writing those things, and we met in public places, he would embrace me, calling me his “friend and brother.” I agree, we are brothers, though I should hold giant sized grudges against him. President Buhari has shown us the way . To err is human, to forgive, divine.

And come to think of it. Is it pleasant to swallow one’s vomit? Nah. But that was what FFK did. All those foul words against the President, the APC, the government, many people in government. He has swallowed them. Delicious? By no means. Pueh! You would feel like retching. So, let’s salute the courage of his conviction. It is rare, and not many people would do it.

I welcome FFK back to APC. And I pray it is for an enduring time. I thank President Buhari for showing an astounding large heart. That’s how to be a father. He has confounded all those who peddle lies about him, and the balderdash about not forgiving.

“The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven. It has dropped upon FFK. May it always drop on us, for “it blesses him that gives, and him that takes.” Amen, somebody!

Source: Punch

Bauchi Community Accuses Govt Of Neglect Amid Persistent Kidnappings

Residents sympathizing with family of Birshin Fulani kidnap victim
Residents of Birshin Fulani community of Bauchi State have accused the state government and other political office holders of neglect as incessant killings and kidnappings become the norm.

The residents in a statement signed by Abdulhamid Jibrin Birshi said the persistent killings and kidnappings in the area is quite worrisome.

“Gentlemen of the press, you may recall that on September 9th 2021, unknown gunmen struck Birshin Fulani community, killed a staff of the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi and his neighbour who was resisting being kidnapped by the gunmen.

“The kidnappers, after killing the Imam, abducted his son and one other individual and only release them after a heavy ransom was paid”, the statement read in part.

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The statement further said; “In another incident, which is the third, the kidnappers stormed the community and kidnapped another individual; the fourth and the latest incident happened on Thursday the 17th of September where they ransacked the community, kidnapped the wife of an AIT staff whose pregnancy is 8 months old, making it the fourth in less than two weeks.

“In total, the kidnappers have killed two people and abducted four.

“On the latest kidnap incident, the gunmen are demanding 50 million as ransom, they have only downsized the money to 45 million after repeated pleas from the husband”, the statement added.

The statement also berated the state government and other political appointees for failing to help the residents.

“We note with dismay the inability of people in positions of power to do the needful. For instance, from the lowest to the highest political office holders in the land who usually storm our community in search of votes during the campaigns only the Deputy Speaker paid a condolence visit.

“None of our elected officer holders finds it worthy to either sympathize with us or help take concrete measures that will guarantee our safety and security from the killer gunmen who find pleasure in destroying our hard-earned peace.

“From the member of the State House of Assembly, Danlami Kawule to the House of Reps, Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi, to the Senate member Lawal Yaya Gumau and down to the Governor of Bauchi State, we did not see any concrete support from you people to help us move out of the current security limbo we are in as a community.

“The inability of these political officers holders to pay either personal or official visits in sympathy and solidarity to the people of this community that is now leaving at the mercy of killer gunmen has reminded us that we are only relevant when our votes are needed.

“This show of unpatriotism and empathy by these leaders across the cadres mentioned is a further reminder that We are on our own when tragedy befalls us.

This show of “I don’t care attitude” is highly unfortunate and regrettable.

“But we want to remind these leaders across all the cadres mention earlier, that power is transient; any position you are occupying today have once been occupied by someone, and today history has pushed them aside”, the statement further said.

Efforts to reach the Governor’s Adviser on security Retired General Marcus Yake proves abortive as calls and text messages put to him on the matter has not been responded to as of press time.

But the police say it was on top of its game. The Divisional Police Officer, Yelwa Division SP Philip Emmanuel told our correspondent that the division had received distress calls from members of the community when the gunmen entered the community.

“I was told about the incident and I immediately sent members of the JTF from the division. They stormed the place, but unfortunately, the kidnappers have left with the woman before our men arrived”, he said.

Source: wikkitimes

Senators reject Buhari’s planned farm settlements

Some senators have expressed concerns over plans by the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to establish farm settlements in each of the 108 senatorial districts in Nigeria.

They noted that any arrangement to acquire land by the Federal Government at the moment without giving details of what it would be used for, might face stiff resistance from various communities.

The President had last month, directed the National Agricultural Land Development Authority to set up the integrated farm estates in 108 senatorial districts nationwide.

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Already, the policy has been greeted with criticisms from the leadership of the various ethnic groups in the middle belt, and southern part of the country, describing it as an attempt in disguise, to create grazing areas for cattle.

The Senator representing Edo South Senatorial District, Matthew Urhoghide, said the Federal Government should give details of the project before approaching state governments for land allocation.

He said, “We are in the Senate to represent our people. I know what my people want

“What we quarrel against is open grazing; we are not against ranching. We are not saying that a Fulani man that has a herd of cattle cannot come to the South to do the business of ranching but he cannot come to carry out open grazing.

“Grazing has two effects. It leads to wanton destruction of farmland. You cannot use animal husbandry to destroy crop farming. There are also criminal cases associated with it including murder.

“If the Federal Government is coming to get land in my state for ranching, it is okay because we need beef, which would be richer, when it is from the ranching system.

“However, the government should make its intention very clear on the policy to avoid major clashes and crisis.”

Similarly, Senator Abba Moro, representing Benue South in the red chamber said government could make arrangements for herders to do the business of ranching but not at the  expense of the farmers.

He advised the Federal Government to go to the drawing board and come up with a modern arrangement to make ranching the way to go.

He said, “When government policies are viewed with suspicion, when citizens lack trust in government policies, then something is wrong.

“Until we address the root causes of conflicts between herders and farmers, and genuinely come out with the right way to go through dialogue, any policy that is thrown at the citizens will be looked at with suspicion which would cause some level of tension.

“I believe that in the face of the current conflicts between herders and farmers, it is not appropriate for government to think of establishing ranches or cattle colonies in any part of the country.”

Also the Senator representing Niger North, Sabi Abdullahi, said the establishment of farm settlements would not resolve the issue of farmers – herders clashes.

The veterinary doctor said, “What the government is doing right now is not sufficient to address the issue we are facing in the country.

“Even the livestock transformation programme, as far as I am concerned, is deficient because we don’t know our livestock population.

“The last census was conducted in 1990 to ascertain the actual number of cattle in this country. The number of cattle, by projection, is put at 27 million, while sheep and goat are said to be about 11 million.

“The concern is that nobody is talking about the feed needs of the animals. People are kicking against open grazing but where is the feed for the animals?

“Even when land has been allocated for the feed, have we established the type of crops growing on such land? Is it what the animals need to eat?

“As far as I am concerned, until we tackle the livestock feeds challenge, this issue will always be there because no one can control hungry animals. They would find ways to eat whatever they see”

COVID-19: FG removes India from restricted countries’ list

The Federal Government has lifted the ban placed on flights coming into the country from India.

The government had banned passengers, who visited India, Brazil, South Africa, and Turkey in the last 14 days from entering the country as part of precautionary measures to contain the virus in the country.

But in the new travel protocol released on Sunday, the Chairman, Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, indicated that the ban placed on passengers from India has been lifted.

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The reviewed protocol took effect from September 14, 2021.

However, the sanctions placed on airlines that convey passengers from restricted countries and travellers who are Non-Nigerians remain.

Mustapha said, “Non-Nigerian passport holders and non-residents who visited Brazil, Turkey or South Africa within 14 days preceding travel to Nigeria, shall be denied entry into Nigeria. This regulation, however, does not apply to passengers who transited through these countries.

“Airlines who fail to comply shall mandatorily pay a penalty of $3,500 defaulting passenger; and non-Nigerians will be denied entry and returned to the country of embarkation at cost to the Airline; Nigerians and those with a permanent resident permit who visited Brazil, Turkey, and South Africa within 14 days preceding travel to Nigeria shall be made to undergo seven days of mandatory quarantine in a Government approved facility at the point-of-entry city and at cost to the passenger.

“The following conditions shall apply to such passengers: Within 24 hours of arrival shall take a COVID-19 PCR test;
ii. If Positive, the passenger shall be admitted within a government-approved treatment centre, in line with national treatment protocols; and
iii. If Negative, the Passenger shall continue to remain in quarantine and made to undergo a repeat PCR test on Day-7 of their quarantine.

“False declaration: passenger(s) who provided false or misleading contact information will be liable to prosecution; and person(s) who willfully disregard or refuse to comply with directions of Port-Health staff, security agencies or evade quarantine shall be prosecuted in accordance with the law

“This protocol comes into effect from 14th September 2021.”

He said before departure from exit country, passengers must perform a COVID-19 PCR test not more than three days before boarding, adding that the PCR tests done more than 72 hours before departure are not valid and persons will not be allowed to board.

The PSC chairman stressed that airlines have been directed not to board passengers with non-PCR COVID-19 tests (such as antigen/or antibody tests), a positive COVID-19 PCR test result, or tests performed beyond 72 hours of boarding.

He added, “Airlines that board passengers without any of the TWO documents (a negative COVID-19 PCR test done not more than 72 hours prior to boarding and a Permit to Travel Certificate/QR code), shall be sanctioned as follows: passengers, who are Non-Nigerians, will be refused entry and returned to the point of embarkation at a cost to the airline;

“Passengers who are Nigerians or holders of a permanent resident permit will be allowed entry but subjected to the procedure outlined in Section D.

“In addition, passengers arriving with forged (fake) COVID-19 PCR results shall be referred for prosecution; airlines shall be fined $3,500 per passenger.”

He said all passengers arriving in Nigeria will be required to go through the routine Port Health screening and present electronic or print-out evidence of pre-boarding COVID-19 PCR test and the Permit to Travel Certificate/QR Code as well as Present their international passports for clearance through the Nigerian Immigration Service System’s Migrants Identification Data Analysis System.S

Source: Punch