NEWS
Nigeria Has The Cheapest Food In W/Africa, Says NGF
AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq, Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum and Governor of Kwara State has asserted that food in Nigeria is the most affordable in West Africa.
During a visit to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, he, along with Governors from Taraba, Kogi, and Ondo States, expressed the need for Nigeria to reach a point where it can export its food.
Abdul Razaq acknowledged the difficulties faced with the CBN Anchor Borrowers Programme, describing it as a challenging endeavor.
He said “What I’ve also noticed is that in West Africa, food in Nigeria is the cheapest in West Africa and our neighbours are using our food to trade.
“We have also noted that food in Nigeria is the cheapest in West Africa, and our neighbours are using our food to trade. They are taking our soybeans and other stuff to make a foreign exchange for themselves
“That is not a bad thing; what we need to do is ramp up production and increase yield per hectare so that we can feed West Africa, feed ourselves 100 per cent, and export food. That is the goal we must achieve.
AbdulRazaq further emphasized that addressing food security is a comprehensive task, highlighting the importance of focusing on Nigeria’s initiatives for dry-season farming.
He added “We have come to the realisation that we now have a new Ministry of Agriculture. Because over the last four years, before this administration, the engagement was not too productive because the CBN had taken over most of what the Agriculture Ministry was doing. Our trips to the ministry at that time were not fruitful.”
Earlier, the minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, outlined a strategic vision aimed at significantly boosting year-round agricultural production.
The primary goals include curbing food inflation, fostering employment, reducing poverty, stimulating economic growth, and promoting inclusivity.
Expressing confidence in collaborative efforts, Kyari informed governors about the initiation of the second phase of the Dry Season Food Production Programme under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-Pocket (NASG-AP).
He shared that responses from the Governors of the 36 States and FCT to Expressions of Interest have been encouraging.
He said “There is no question that if we get things right now, and without an iota of doubt with all hands on the plough, future programmes and projects will enable us to more seamlessly achieve all-year-round agricultural production with beneficial consequences for economic empowerment, inclusiveness, and ultimately wider opportunities for value addition, food and nutrition security, as well as industrialization.
“We are putting behind us the challenges encountered during the first phase of dry-season farming with wheat in 15 participating states.
“After a detailed and careful evaluation of some of the glitches that characterised that phase and with collective stakeholders’ proposals, there will be additional implementation guidelines for the second phase commencing soon.
“Your Excellencies, the phase we are about to get into is particularly crucial because, unlike phase one for wheat production, which involved only 15 states, the second phase will cover the entire country.
“We would therefore like you to use the instrumentality of your offices as governors to ensure the readiness of your respective states for optimal participation in this second phase for the cultivation of rice, maize, and cassava.” he added
NEWS
Moghalu Prescribes Good Governance As Panacea To Ethnic Agitation
The President of the African School of Governance, Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu has admonished state actors against resorting to brutal force in the bid to muscle out separatist agitators.
In the aftermath of Mazi Simon Ekpa, the Finland based Biafran nationalist agitator being caught in legal web and the Nigerian government moving swiftly to seek his repatriation, the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has cautioned that ‘We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.’
ALSO READ: Finnish Police Arrest Simon Ekpa Over Terror-Related Allegations
The political economist, while expressing his hope in Nigeria, made it clear that “hope is not a strategy”.
He bared his mind in a series of posts on his verified handle on micro-blogging site, X on Friday.
Moghalu wrote, “Despite sustained contemporary difficulties, I am hopeful about Nigeria. But hope is not a strategy. We need to improve state capacity for effective governance.
“We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.
“We must learn to be honest with ourselves and address the root causes of our problems. Why ignore them, when the problem is actually quite solvable? The problem with continuing with this approach is that when the danger crystallizes, those who thought they were benefiting from
NEWS
N1.7trn Loan: Atiku Blames NASS For Worsening Nigeria’s Debt Burden
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has criticized the federal government’s plan to secure an additional N1.7 trillion loan through Eurobonds to cover a shortfall in the 2024 budget, describing the borrowing as unsustainable and harmful to Nigeria’s economy.
In a statement shared on Thursday via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Atiku accused the Bola Tinubu-led administration of burdening Nigerians with debt while failing to provide clear answers about the country’s fiscal challenges.
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He also faulted the National Assembly for enabling what he called a “voracious appetite” for loans.
The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate expressed alarm over a recent World Bank report ranking Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), calling the development troubling.
“The recent report released by the World Bank, showing Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), is very concerning,” Atiku stated.
He raised further concerns about the government’s decision to benchmark the proposed loan at an exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official rate being over N1,600.
“What makes this particular loan proposal even more concerning is that it is benchmarked at the exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, whereas the current exchange rate from the Central Bank of Nigeria stands at over N1,600 to 1 USD,” he said.
Atiku questioned the need for additional borrowing, given the government’s earlier claims of record-high revenue collection.
“In July this year, Tinubu boasted that the FIRS and Customs under his watch had collected all-time high revenues to finance the budget. Why are they still borrowing?” he said
He accused the government of a lack of transparency, describing the borrowing spree as detrimental to Nigerians already struggling under economic hardship.
“There is something that they are not telling Nigerians, even as they are being crushed by a combination of their failed trial-and-error policies and loan rackets.”
Atiku also referenced a report by BudgIT, a budget monitoring group, which criticized the 2024 budget for its inefficiencies.
He alleged that corruption, rather than infrastructure or development needs, was driving the government’s borrowing decisions.
“These loans are powered by corruption and not for infrastructure and development needs. This voracious appetite for humongous loans is deeply concerning,” he said.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s financial history, Atiku lamented the return to significant foreign indebtedness just years after former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration cleared the country’s debt.
“It is agonizing to see that just a few years after the Obasanjo administration took us out of foreign indebtedness, we are today back at the top spot in the same conundrum,” he stated.
He called for a more cautious approach to borrowing, urging the government to prioritize fiscal responsibility and transparency to avoid worsening Nigeria’s economic challenges.
International News
ICC Issues Arrest Warrants For Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Others
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken a historic step, issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The charges include crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed during Israel’s recent assault on Gaza.
In a detailed statement, the ICC accused the Israeli leaders of “intentionally and knowingly depriving the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity.”
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The ICC’s move marks a significant escalation in international scrutiny of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu and Gallant are alleged to have orchestrated policies that caused severe harm to the civilian population in Gaza, leading to widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.
Alongside the charges against Israeli officials, the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. Deif has long been a central figure in Hamas’s military operations. Israel’s military claims to have killed him in a July airstrike, although this has not been independently verified.
The warrants highlight growing calls for accountability amid the ongoing conflict in the region. The ICC’s actions are likely to provoke heated debate and may complicate diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the crisis.
With the warrants issued, global attention now turns to how the international community will respond and whether any practical steps will be taken to enforce them.