Metro
FCT Women Farmers Seek Improved Access to Finance, Markets
Women farmers and petty traders in Bwari Area Council, FCT, have urged the government and stakeholders to provide affordable finance, storage facilities and market linkages to boost their businesses.
The women, who spoke in separate interviews on Sunday in Abuja, said an improved support mechanism would also boost their household incomes.
They said inadequate capital, rising cost of farm inputs, poor storage facilities, transportation challenges and unstable prices of farm produce remained major challenges to their livelihoods.
Theresa Elias, a vegetable farmer, said women farmers often invested heavily in production but struggled to make reasonable profits due to inadequate access to markets and post-harvest losses.
She noted that the absence of affordable storage facilities forced many farmers to sell their produce immediately after harvest, sometimes at prices below the cost of production.
“Some of us produce and sell these greens and tomatoes you see in the market and we transport them from interior communities far from the town where we live and farm.
“Farming is profitable but its major challenges are storage and transportation and sometimes, we bear the burden of losses if we do not sell off everything immediately,” she said.
Elias, who said she used the business to support her husband who is also a farmer, added that selling the farm produce after harvest helped sustain her family and meet other needs.
She appealed to relevant agricultural agencies to establish community-based storage facilities and strengthen linkages between farmers and bulk buyers to reduce waste and improve their bargaining power.
Another farmer, Grace Awoyi, said the rising prices of fertiliser, seeds, pesticides and other farm inputs had made farming increasingly difficult for women operating on a small scale.
According to her, access to low-interest loans and grants will enable women farmers to expand their farms, acquire improved inputs and increase food production.
She said: “Sometimes we have good harvests, but the challenge is where and how to sell them at a good price.
“Middlemen here often dictate prices because we have limited access to bigger markets and we can’t process or store the produce for future use, except for local drying.”
Awoyi called for measures to ensure fair and transparent pricing of farm produce, saying stronger farmer cooperatives and access to reliable market information would help women negotiate better prices and reduce exploitation by middlemen.
She further urged the council, private and government-related agricultural development organisations to prioritise and initiate programmes that support women farmers in rural communities.
Similarly, Shekwoyemi Daniel, a petty trader who sells food items at Zamayi Market in Bwari, said inadequate working capital and fluctuating prices had made it difficult to maintain sufficient stock.
According to Daniel, traders are also affected by transportation costs, low purchasing power among consumers and competition from larger businesses.
She, however, said women-friendly credit schemes, training in financial management and stronger connections between traders, producers and established markets would help many women grow their businesses.
She said: “In spite of all these challenges, some of us have recorded progress through personal savings, cooperative societies, skills acquisition programmes and support from community-based organisations.
“The cooperative group I belong to has helped some of us access small loans, purchase farm inputs collectively and support one another during periods of financial difficulty.
“This is why I believe that if we get bigger and stronger support from government or other development organisations, we can do better in business and support our families at the same time.”
Daniel added that supporting women farmers and petty traders would not only improve livelihoods but also contribute to food security, employment creation and economic development in Bwari.
She, therefore, urged the government to move beyond occasional empowerment programmes and establish sustainable interventions that would enable women to build businesses capable of surviving economic challenges.
Anna Yonah, a women leader in the Baran-goni community, also said improved access to mobile banking and social media platforms had enabled some women to advertise their products and reach customers beyond their immediate communities.
She, however, stressed that such progress remained limited as many women still lacked sufficient capital, business facilities and access to larger markets.
She appealed for regular capacity-building programmes on improved farming methods, food processing, packaging, bookkeeping and digital marketing to enable the women to compete more effectively. (NAN)
By Tambaya Julius, Abuja
Akwanga, Nasarawa State, is set to host prominent personalities from within and outside the state as The Spotlight Magazine prepares to launch its maiden edition on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
The event is scheduled to take place at Gaji Luxury Hotel, Akwanga, by 2:00 p.
m.According to the organisers, the occasion will bring together eminent personalities, traditional rulers, political leaders, captains of industry, media practitioners, youth groups and other stakeholders to celebrate the introduction of the magazine.
The Publisher of the Spotlight Magazine, M. J. Yusuf, said the publication was established to spotlight excellence, promote development journalism, celebrate unsung heroes and showcase the rich cultural and economic potential of Akwanga, Nasarawa State and Nigeria at large.
Yusuf explained that the maiden edition features exclusive interviews, investigative reports and inspiring success stories reflecting the experiences, achievements and aspirations of the people.
He added that the magazine aims to provide a platform for promoting development, recognising outstanding contributions to society and highlighting issues of public interest.
The guest speaker and a veteran media professional, Muktar Wakeel, is to deliver the guest lecture at the event.
Dignitaries expected at the launch include the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, members of the National and State Assemblies, the Chairman of Akwanga Local Government Area, and traditional rulers led by the Chun Mada, alongside other royal fathers, business leaders and media practitioners.
The organising committee said adequate arrangements had been made to ensure a colourful, secure and memorable event.
It also invited members of the public and other interested stakeholders to attend the launch and support the magazine’s vision of promoting truth, development and positive change.
The launch is expected to mark the beginning of The Spotlight Magazine’s contribution to development journalism, public discourse and the promotion of the cultural and economic potential of Nasarawa State and the World at large.
The Police Command in Oyo State has arrested 11 suspects over alleged cultism, armed robbery and unlawful possession of firearms in various locations within the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade disclosed this to newsmen while parading the suspects at the Command’s headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan on Monday.
Ayanlade said the exhibits recovered from the suspects were five guns—including a revolver pistol, a Beretta pistol, a pump-action gun, and a locally made cut-to-size pistol—along with four cutlasses.
He said that the arrest formed part of the ongoing investigations and operation of the Command in ridding Oyo State of crime and criminal activities, especially violent crime.
He disclosed that one of the arrested suspects was a very bright physics student of an institution in the state, who had won several awards, but turned out to be the leader of a cult group, Eiye confraternity.
The PPRO said that the student was arrested together with his colleagues in possession of a firearm, a cutlass, and ammunition.
He added that other arrested suspects were a syndicate who specialised in robbing unsuspecting Nigerians of their possessions, especially phones, in different locations within Ibadan and its environs.
He said the leader of the suspected armed robbers had earlier been arrested, prosecuted and currently in a correctional facility.
Ayanlade said that the suspected armed robbers were arrested as a result of painstaking intelligence gathering with the support and collaboration of members of the public.
He said that the suspects were arrested in their various hideouts by operatives of the command monitoring unit.
One of the armed robbery suspects, a 35-year-old, told journalists that his gang operated with cutlasses to instill fear in their victims before snatching their mobile phones.
The suspect said that the gang had snatched a total of 10 expensive phones, which were eventually sold for between N40,000 and N50,000.
Also speaking in an interview, the suspected cultist student said he was initiated as the leader of the group a year ago after graduating from an institution in Apata area of Ibadan.
The suspect said that he could not really say what pushed him into joining the cult group. (NAN)
Counsel to Safwan Garba GY and GY Global Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited, Ibrahim Waru, has asked the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf, to transfer an alleged $2.1m land deal suit involving Jordan Wike, son of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, over concerns about the trial judge’s alleged family and community ties with the defendant.
Waru, in a letter dated October 7, sought the transfer of the suit, marked CV/008/2026, from Court 2 of the FCT High Court, presided over by Justice Sylvanus Oriji, to another court, citing what he described as a reasonable apprehension of bias.
An acknowledged copy of the letter, received by the Chief Judge’s chambers on October 8, was made available to journalists on Monday in Abuja.
Titled “Request for Transfer of Suit CV/008/26 between Safwan Garba GY & Another Vs Jordan Ezenwo Nyesom Wike from Court 2 on Ground of Reasonable Apprehension of Bias,” the letter said the application was intended to prevent circumstances that could raise concerns about the appearance of impartiality.
Waru wrote, “We respectfully write on behalf of our clients, the claimants, to request the transfer of the above-mentioned suit from Court 2 to another court within the FCT High Court.”
Explaining the basis for the request, he said the claimants’ concerns arose from social media publications which, in their view, suggested a close geographical, community and family affinity between the judge and Jordan.
“In particular, the Honourable Judge presiding over the matter is from the same area/community as the defendant, and there exists a close geographical/community and family affinity between His Lordship and the defendant,” the lawyer stated.
Waru, however, stressed that the request was not intended to impugn the judge’s integrity, impartiality or professional competence.
“Our clients do not equally allege actual bias against His Lordship, the presiding Judge.
“Rather, the request is founded on the need to avoid circumstances capable of creating a reasonable perception or apprehension that the matter may not be determined with the required appearance of complete impartiality,” he added.
Citing the principle that justice must not only be done but must also be seen to be done, the lawyer said the transfer would help preserve public confidence in the judicial process.
He urged the Chief Judge to exercise his administrative powers to reassign the case, arguing that such a decision would not constitute an adverse finding against Justice Oriji.
The letter read, “Our clients are particularly concerned that, irrespective of the actual state of mind of the Honourable presiding Judge, the existing circumstance may create an impression in the mind of a reasonable observer that His Lordship’s relationship and/or common community background with the defendant could potentially influence or be perceived as capable of influencing the adjudication of the matter.”
Waru added that transferring the case would enable the parties to approach the proceedings with confidence in the impartiality of the adjudication process.
The request comes amid an ongoing civil suit in which the claimants are seeking to recover $2.1m they allegedly paid Jordan in connection with a proposed real estate venture involving land in Katampe and Guzape, Abuja.
Jordan had denied receiving the money during cross-examination at the FCT High Court on September 30, insisting that his signature on a document linking him to the transaction was forged.
He also denied knowing one of the men the claimants alleged accompanied him during the purported cash payment.
When asked whether he had reported the alleged forgery to the police, Jordan answered in the negative.
The claimants are seeking an order directing Jordan to refund the sum of $2.1m, with 10 per cent interest from the date of judgment until payment, as well as N100m in damages and the cost of prosecuting the suit.
Jordan has denied the allegations, which remain before the court for determination.
Justice Oriji adjourned the case until December 1, 2 and 14, 2026, for continuation of the trial.
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