From Sylvia Udegbunam Enugu

The founder of the Revival City International Christian Retreat and Conference Center, Enugu, Bishop Deborah Macfoy Akachukwu has advocated establishment of more universities of agriculture in the country.Akacbukwu gave the advice while addressing journalists on burning national issues including the ongoing hardship occasioned by removal of fuel Subsidy in the country.

She faulted some parts of our educational system, especially the areas that do not prepare people on how to acquire skills, stressing that we needed an educational system that would equip people with skills. The servant of God noted that the oil boom was a major challenge to us because it succeeded in killing some key areas including agriculture.She faulted some of the educational curriculum that the colonial master gave us that excluded some key areas that will equip us with skills.Akacbukwu maintained that what Nigeria needed at the moment was more universities of Agriculture and cosmetology that will research into our local commodities.Although she expressed concern over hardship going on in the country, she stressed that Nigerians needed to reset their minds and seek ways out of the problem.The Bishop maintained that nothing will orient the people more than the ongoing hunger in the country but urged people to be more proactive and practical and do things in the contest of our reality.”We need to be more proactive and practical and do things in the contest of our reality, nothing will orient people like this hunger” she stated.

By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud on Thursday revealed that the current administration has disbursed grants to 9,170 beneficiaries within the first year of the Fadama CARES programme.The minister, who made this declaration at the flag off ceremony for the disbursement of project grants to fourth batch of FCT Fadama CARES beneficiaries, also revealed that 3,150 benefited under the third batch while an additional 6,020 new beneficiaries will be provided grants under the fourth batch.

Specifically she said this would amount to a total of 9,170 beneficiaries during the first year of this administration, stressing that the figure indicates an achievement of 216% when compared to the disbursement figure of 4,233 recorded by the programme in about 2 years prior to the coming of this administration.According to her; “This is in addition to the provision of water and sanitation facilities in 10 Wet Markets located across the 6 area councils of the FCT”.Speaking on the objective of the programme, Mahmoud said that the FCT Fadama CARES Programme was designed to increase food security and safe functioning of the food supply chain in the FCT.Her words: “The programme is deliberately designed to support the recovery of livelihood activities of poor and vulnerable persons engaged in agricultural value chains with special consideration to women and unemployed youth.”Its implementation will be anchored on the World Bank community driven development approach for deployment of programme investments at the community level”.She further noted that the programme is another significant indicator of the unflinching commitment of President Bola Tinubu, towards ensuring sustainable food production through his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”It is in line with President’s strategic vision that the FCT Administration under the leadership of the Minister, Nyesom Wike, is committing significant resources towards ensuring sustainable agricultural production as a panacea for poverty reduction and improvement of livelihoods for poor and vulnerable agricultural households in the FCT through the FCT Fadama CARES programme.”This indeed is a clear indication of our administration’s commitment towards ensuring sustainable agricultural production for the attainment of food and nutritional security, poverty reduction and improved livelihoods,” she added.Mahmoud also emphasised that as part of the youth empowerment component of the Fadama CARES programme, the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat is leveraging the programme to provide starter packs to 94 trainees of FCT – Leventis Foundation School of Agriculture, Yaba for years 2022 and 2023 to enable them put into practice what they studied in school.On his part, the Mandate Secretary Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, Lawan Kolo Geidam, informed the minister that under the fourth batch of disbursement of grants to FCT Fadama CARES, 82 farmers’ community associations across the 6 area councils have been selected to benefit.He, further said that within the period of one year, 12,436 bags of NPK, 6218 bags of Urea, 18,654 litres of agro chemicals, 43,526 kg of assorted seeds, 55,400 day old chicks and 7,756 bags of poultry feeds and 81,800 Juveniles (cat fish) and 2,045 bags of fish feed have been disbursed under Disbursement Linked Indicator (DLI) 2.1.”Under DLI 2.3, 3690 Goats, 3212 sets of Farm Assets (Sprayers, Personal Protective Equipment, and Water Pumps and Accessories), 1006 Grinding Machines and 22 units of 2MT/hour multipurpose threshers were disbursed, while water and sanitation facilities have been provided in 10 Wet Markets across the 6 Area Councils,” he affirmed.The highpoint of the event was the distribution of items which include fertilizers, seeds and agrochemicals, sprayers and personal protective equipment for crop farmers.Day old chicks and feeds were also distributed to poultry farmers, juveniles and feeds for fish farmers, goats for livestock farmers and grinding machines for women processors.

From Sylvia Udegbunam Enugu

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has destroyed fake, adulterated and unregistered food, drugs and cosmetic products worth N2,664,548,683 seized in the South-East.Setting the products on fire at the Enugu State Refuse Dumpsite in Ugwuonyeama in Enugu on Thursday, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof.

Mojisola Adeyeye, said that the products would had compromised the health of over three million people. Adeyeye, represented by Director of NAFDAC South-East Zone, Martins Iluyomade, said that the destroyed products would have increased the health burden on the already overstretched health institutions in the country.According to her, these destroyed products will have increased the poverty rate by making people spend money they should use to improve their livelihoods on medical trips.”It is also pertinent to know that several people have lost their lives and met their untimely death due to the consumption of these poisons.”This event today is to signal to the people of the South-East that it is no longer business as usual to merchants of death who are hell bent on destroying other people for their own selfish economic gain.”I want to thank other sister agencies for the synergy and inter agency cooperation without which we cannot succeed in this endeavour.”NAFDAC will not rest on its oars until every household in Nigeria can buy any regulated product without fear of substandard and adulteration or fake.”We enjoin the public to join us in this fight by reporting unscrupulous manufacturers and business men who engage in illicit practices to report to the nearest NAFDAC office for prompt investigation,” she said.Director of NAFDAC South-East Zone, Martins Iluyomade, said that South-East states are very strategic to achieving the mandate of NAFDAC.Iluyomade noted that “if the work of NAFDAC is achieved in the South-East, 70 per cent of the mandate of the Agency is already achieved”.”Several raids and routine activities have led to the confiscation of several fake, substandard, falsified, adulterated and spurious foods, drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, chemicals and other regulated consignments.”These products are very injurious to the health of Nigerians and especially to the people of the South-East,” he said.