By Raphael Atuu, Abuja

The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to placing women at the centre of Nigeria’s livestock transformation, declaring that “women are the backbone of the livestock economy.

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Speaking at a high-level breakfast meeting in Abuja, the Minister emphasised that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda has elevated livestock as a national development priority and created new opportunities for women to lead, own businesses, and prosper.

He also applauded the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for her unwavering advocacy for women’s empowerment.

“So, to every woman here, you are not behind the scenes.

You are on the front lines. You are not a sidebar—you are the main agenda. Your work matters. Your voice matters. Your leadership matters.

“This Ministry is your partner. We will work hand-in-hand with AWARFA-N and all stakeholders to expand opportunities, especially in high-value chains like honey, goats, dairy, and poultry. We are here to listen, to support, and to act.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi, welcomed participants and reiterated that women remain the driving force behind food production, family nutrition, local markets, and value-chain activities.

She highlighted that the Ministry’s National Livestock Growth and Acceleration Strategy (NL-GAS) deliberately identifies Women and Youth as one of its ten core pillars.

The Permanent Secretary also announced the forthcoming launch of the National Presidential Youth and Women Initiatives in Livestock, which will create thousands of jobs across all 774 LGAs.

Presenting AWARFA-N’s five-year strategy, Victoria Madedor outlined the organisation’s vision to become the leading platform for supporting women’s investment and business growth in animal resources and agribusiness.

She emphasised sustainability, capacity building, access to finance, value-chain development, technology, and advocacy as the five pillars guiding the 2025–2029 strategy. She urged partners to deepen support for women’s enterprise development, including access to land, climate-smart technologies, and feed-production skills.

Delivering a goodwill message on behalf of AU-IBAR, Dr. Sarah Ossiya stressed the need for a new era of intentional inclusion of women in livestock systems, noting that undernutrition reduces Africa’s GDP by up to 10 percent.

She stressed that “when you feed animals right, you feed people right,” and called for increased financing and land-use reforms to unlock women’s full potential.

From Jude Dangwam, Jos

Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang has declared open the 18th National Delegates Conference of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) open in Jos, Plateau State.

He urged the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) to migrate from traditional trade unionism to management, emphasizing the need for labour leaders to acquire modern management skills to drive growth and development.

Mutfwang represented by his Deputy, Ngo Josephine Piyo reiterated the commitment of his administration to further better the working condition of Polytechnics workers as well as the infrastructural development of the institution.

He described the theme for the Convention, “Migrating from Trade Unionism to Management: Harnessing the Benefits in Role Changes for the Next Phase of the Struggle” as not only timely but visionary as it reflects a deep understanding that the future of labour leadership will no longer depend solely on agitation, but on innovation, collaboration, strategic thinking and management expertise.

Mutfwang emphasized that labour leaders must move beyond agitation and become partners in organizational growth, saying, “We are entering an era where workers are not just employees but stakeholders. In this new phase, labour must sit not only at negotiation tables, but also at planning tables, management boards, and policy think-tanks.”

He assured the government of Plateau State’s commitment to people-centered and labour-friendly policies, adding that, “We are building a public service driven by efficiency, merit and welfare. We believe that workers are not liabilities but assets, assets whose value must be developed to build a stronger economy,” he charged them delegates

The National President of ASUP, Shammah Kpanja in an interview with Newsmen shortly after the opening ceremony highlighted the key challenges facing the polytechnic sector from attaining its full potential.

According to him, “The universities have the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Colleges of Education have the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), but the polytechnics are the only tertiary sector without a dedicated commission. We are insisting that there should be a dedicated commission to regulate quality assurance in the polytechnics.” He insisted

Kpanja maintained that polytechnics should be allowed to mount dual-mode programs by enabling students to pursue National Diploma (ND) and B. Tech degrees, adding that the discrimination against HND holders is hindering the growth of the country.

“Look at our products; the maximum number of years they spend before obtaining their certificate is five years. Two years ND, one year industrial attachment, and another two years HND. But despite that, they do not go beyond a particular level in public service. They are discriminated against, they are dehumanized, and they are placed in cadres that are not even the same as their University counterparts.” The President stated

The union further expressed concerns over what it described as the rampant conversion of polytechnics into universities in the country targeted at undermining technical education in Nigeria.

“This clearly shows that the Federal Government has no focused position on technical education. We have always promoted education that should serve as a driver to take us out of insecurity and joblessness.

“Also, ASUP is pushing for improved welfare, including the implementation of the 25% and 35% wage awards and payment of arrears. We are calling on the government to ensure that this negotiation is completed within the shortest time possible, and that the content of the new agreement must not only be signed but fully implemented,” he strongly emphasized.

By Mike Odiakose, Abuja

When Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally unveiled the Kingdom’s new National Carrier on March 12, 2023, it marked far more than the launch of an airline.

It was a strategic national milestone, one tied to economic diversification, global competitiveness, and the Kingdom’s ambition to become one of the world’s leading aviation hubs.

Central to this vision was the creation of a modern, efficient, and globally competitive fleet.

At the heart of that responsibility stood Nigerian-born aerospace engineer, Professor and Pilot, Shiekuma Gemade.

For Saudi Arabia, launching a new national carrier was both economic strategy and national security imperative.

Around the world, flag airlines serve as symbols of identity, engines of tourism, conduits of trade, and crucial elements of emergency response.

Understanding this, The Kingdom sought not just aircraft, but expertise, talent capable of designing a fleet foundation strong enough to support over 100 destinations by 2030.

That search led to Shiekuma Gemade, whose two decades of hands-on global experience made him uniquely suited for one of the most consequential aviation assignments of the decade.

His path to aviation leadership was forged from the ground up, shaped by hands-on experience in airports and on aircraft, long before he was advising boards or negotiating billion-dollar contracts.

Over the years, he ascended to influential roles at major airlines and aircraft leasing companies across North America, Europe, and the Middle East, cultivating a rare combination of technical and commercial insight paired with deep operational expertise.

As Head of Fleet (Planning, Acquisitions and Aircraft Programmes) for the National Carrier, Gemade was tasked with building three critical divisions from scratch: Fleet Planning & Transactions, Aircraft Programmes and the Service Ready Team.

Together, these units shaped long-term fleet strategy, engineered cabin layouts, oversaw manufacturing, ensured regulatory compliance and prepared aircraft for delivery.

He also led the airline’s Air Operator Certificate (AOC) Aircraft Plan, an intensive, globally coordinated process involving OEM engagement, maintenance alignment and cross-border regulatory approvals.

Under his leadership, the airline selected and ordered almost 200 next-generation aircraft, the bedrock of the modern fleet that included Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Airbus A321neo’s and, later, A350s, balancing efficiency, sustainability and passenger comfort.

His approach ensured the fleet was not only operative, but globally competitive.

His work is more than a personal triumph. It is a reminder of what to Nigerian talent can achieve on the global stage, exemplified by precision, leadership and world-class expertise powering the fleet of a national dream.