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Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, has promised that the Rivers State Government will give needed support to the Wigwe Foundation to ensure that the dreams of the late Herbert Wigwe and founder of the Wigwe University live on.
He made the promise at the weekend at Isiokpo, Ikwerre Local Government Area, Rivers State- home town of late Wigwe during the funeral service for the CEO of Access Bank Holdings, Herbert Wigwe, his wife and son at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lion of Judah Parish, Isiokpo.
Addressing the mammoth crowd of dignitaries cutting across the various sectors and strata of the society, local and international, Governor Fubara noted; “I want to say that our brother has finished his work, though shortly.
“We as a government will do everything with the Wigwe Foundation to immortalise him. We will do everything in our power to make sure that the dream of Wigwe University will continue to live, just as he planned it. It is a difficult situation for us all.
“Yesterday night (Night of Tribute) we sang a hymn and I came to the conclusion that life is not the one million years that we live but even if we spent an hour, let it be impactful.
“Here lie our brother, his wife and son. Everyone has come to celebrate them. It means even in the short period that he lived, he lived an impactful life. He made a great contribution to humanity.
“He took the political class to task asking ‘What are all these struggles all about? You want to kill, you want to do all sorts, what are they all about?”
In his address, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio described the death of the Wigwes as a painful and abnormal type of situation and has many reasons to keep Nigerians mourning for a long time.
He said; “The death is very painful and very painful indeed. But we are not going to cry in one day alone. We will cry for so many days. It’s not a normal occasion. Normally the wife would have been around as the widow. If not the wife, the first son.
“This is a very abnormal occasion. We will continue to grieve after this. When you look at his university, you will cry, when you look at his personal house, an edifice, you will cry, when you pass through any of the Access Bank branches worldwide, you will cry. When you come across children that he touched, those that he sent to school and the lives that he touched, when they mention him, you will cry.
“When you even remember that his heir Chizi was already an iconic figure, a talented young man, highly educated, prepared to take over from his father and yet he’s no more.
“When you think of the fact that the wife would have been here to also mourn with us but she joined him, then you will cry.”
He conveyed the condolences of President Bola Tinubu, his government, the NASS and all members of the legislature to the bereaved family, Access Bank and the remaining members of the family.
He said there was nothing to be done than to continue express sadness over the demise of the family describing the late Herbert Wigwe as an iconic figure, the people’s person, a friend and a brother to all that came across him.
Akpabio prayed; “Let me also extend the condolences of the federal government to the father and mother of the late Herbert Wigwe. May Almighty God console them and for those of you who are here may you never have to bury your child.”
Some of the dignitaries sighted at the funeral service include Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, Babjide Sanwolu, Governor of Lagos State, Pastor Eno Umo, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Presidential candidate of the Labour Party at the 2023 election, Peter Obi, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, immediate past Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, alongside other distinguished guests.
Bandits have reportedly kidnapped no fewer than 15 Tsangaya students at Gidan Bakuso area of Gada Local Government Area in Sokoto State.
The incident, according to findings by our correspondent, took place about 1am on Saturday at the school premises.
Confirming the incident, the proprietor of the school, Liman Abubakar, said, “So far, 15 students were unaccounted for, but we are still counting”
“They invaded the town around 1am, shot one person and abducted a woman in the process.
“As they were leaving the town, they sighted our students rushing into their rooms and they kidnapped many of them.
“We have so far counted 15 who are missing and we are still searching for more.”
Abubakar added that this was not the first time the village was attacked by bandits but had never kidnapped any of their students until now.
Also speaking, Mansur Ahmadu, a resident of the affected community, said the bandits invaded the community in the middle of the night.
“It was a serious situation when the incident happened, they killed a woman in the process before they abduct those students,” he said.
Also confirming the incident, a member, representing Gada-East constituency at the state House of Assembly, Kabiru Dauda, said he received a call from the village around 2am that they were invaded by bandits.
“I reached out to the local government authorities and security agencies and I am sure they are doing something about it,” he said.
When contacted, the spokesman for the Sokoto State Police Command, ASP Ahmad Rufa’i, said the command has deployed team to ascertain the real situation.
He said, “Most of your colleagues has been calling me on this but honestly I just spoke with the Divisional Police Officer of the affected community.
“We have mobilised our men to ascertain what actually happened, I can assure you that we are on top of the situation. I will brief you on it” he added.
Efforts to speak with the state governor’s Special Adviser on Security Matters, Col Ahmed Usman (retd.), was not successful as his line was not reachable as of the time of filling this report.
A top government official who spoke on condition of anonymity however confirmed the attack while assuring all that the government will do everything possible in ensuring the safety returns of the abducted students.
On Thursday, over 280 pupils and teachers of Government Secondary School and LEA primary school at Kuriga, Kaduna State were abducted by bandits, triggering national outrage.
Twenty-six-year-old Benue man, Tersugh Aondona, has disclosed the reason behind his decision to marry three wives on the same day.
Aondona set social media agog and got tongues wagging after his marriage to three woman on January 31, 2024, came to public knowledge.
Speaking on his matrimonial decision, Aondona stated that his ownership of large farmland played a role in his decision to marry three wives at once.
Speaking during an interview with Punch, he also revealed that his father motivated him to have many wives.
Aondona, who is from Jato-Aka, Kwande Local Government Area of the middle belt State and focuses mainly on rice, yam, and cassava cultivation, said marrying three women simultaneously was to remove the acrimony and impasse that would arise if he were to marry them separately.
He said “It has always been in my plan to have multiple wives, stemming from my desire for many children and the need for help on my expansive farm. Before marrying them, I explained to each of the women that I needed their assistance on my farm, which is too large for me to manage alone.
“I chose to marry them on the same day because I noticed that it was challenging to marry another woman after being married to one already. It often leads to conflicts. My brother has been facing the issue of not being able to marry another woman after marrying his wife, who always opposes the idea. I noticed that if I married them one after the other, there would be conflicts among them, which might result in enmity, and there wouldn’t be peace at home and they would hardly have cordial relationships. Therefore, I decided to marry the three of them at once to maintain peace and they agreed to have the wedding on the same day.
“However, if I notice that they want to misbehave, I will remind them of the promise they made when we met, and I will ask them why they agreed to be in such a relationship from the beginning if they knew they couldn’t maintain the peace”
Goldman Sachs analysts Andrew Matheny and Bojosi Morule have projected a significant appreciation of the exchange rate to N1,200/$ in 12 months.
This amounts to a massive recovery from its perceived undervalued state.
This forecast hinges on Nigeria’s transition away from unstable monetary policies and significantly negative real interest rates, leading to a significant naira depreciation.
- The report by the analysts outlines that over the past nine months, the naira has experienced a cumulative weakening of 60-70%.
- However, the tide is expected to turn due to the advent of positive real rates and a pivot towards more orthodox policy frameworks, marking the beginning of Nigeria’s recovery from its currency crisis.
- The analysts noted that for lasting macroeconomic stabilization, continued and sustained efforts are required.
A looming risk to this forecast is the potential faltering by Nigerian authorities in maintaining the orthodox monetary pathway and tightening policy adequately to draw in the needed capital inflows.
Policy Shifts and Economic Implications
The Goldman Sachs analysts commended the recent monetary policy transitions under President Bola Tinubu, noting the significant shift towards inflation targeting and a more flexible exchange rate as positive developments.
- Despite these forward-looking reforms, the initial implementation phase was criticized for its lack of depth until recent times.
- The absence of a clear policy anchor and a defined strategy previously left the naira vulnerable, leading to escalating inflation and currency depreciation.
- Highlighting the necessity for positive real interest rates and external financing to mitigate Nigeria’s currency and liquidity crisis, the analysts’ report sees recent policy adjustments and bill issuances by the central bank as steps in the right direction.
- Nevertheless, they emphasize the need for more decisive rate increases and a firm confirmation of policy shifts to attract meaningful foreign inflows.
Excerpts from the report
- “We argued that addressing Nigeria’s currency and external liquidity crisis required positive real interest rates and capital inflows, conditions that were both present – at least in a limited form – for the first time last week on the back of the central bank’s monetary policy adjustments and bill issuance.
- “In our view, this is the cue to turn constructive on the FX outlook, even if more decisive rate increases and confirmation of the policy shift are likely required to attract meaningful foreign inflows. This is especially the case given that, in the near term, inflation on our estimates is likely to rise further on the back of lagged currency depreciation, and given that real interest rates are still comparatively low relative to elsewhere (most notably Egypt, which is likely to be a beneficiary of large inflows on the back of recent policy adjustments).
- “We think the Naira looks cheap on a REER basis in a historical context. Added to this, the current account surplus was +3.5% of GDP in 2023Q3, and we expect it to increase above +5.0% on the recent FX moves and associated import compression. We thus see reason for the Naira to be undervalued, and we see it appreciating to 1200 within the next 12 months.”
More Insights
- Nairametric earlier reported that the Naira lost about 68% of its value, marking a profound downturn since the implementation of the foreign exchange unification policy.
- The weakening Naira has inflicted broad economic repercussions, including heightened import costs, surging inflation rates, diminishing purchasing power, and a deterrent effect on investment inflows.
- However, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Yemi Cardoso said that the naira is undervalued. He added that the apex bank will work towards real price discovery in the foreign exchange market in 2024. Cardoso recently blamed the undervalued state of the naira on market distortions and FX spectators.
- The central bank has been actively addressing the FX issue in the country with some reforms, such as clearing the backlog of forex obligations which the CBN noted would be fully cleared in a few days.
- Also, the apex bank plans to establish a singular foreign currency (FCY) gateway bank that will centralise all correspondent banking activities and provide incentives to individuals who hold foreign currencies outside the formal banking system.
- Other measures include investigating and resolving FX backlogs, restricting forex allocation for overseas education and medical trips, augmenting the minimum share capital for BDCs, and targeting FX market speculators.
[Nairametrics]
Popular Nollywood actor Deyemi Okanlawon has revealed the profession he would have been in if he was not in the movie industry.
Speaking in a recent interview with Pulse, Okanlawon disclosed that he would have been a Christian cleric if he wasn’t a thespian.
“I don’t think I can call it a career path, it would have been more of a calling. I think I would have been a pastor [if I wasn’t an actor],” he said.
He said contrary to speculations that he is abusive because of some of the movie roles he had played, he is against domestic violence.
The actor said the most ridiculous rumours he has heard about himself is that he is “expensive to hire.”
He, however, added that it isn’t a rumour.
Herbert Wigwe: Emotions, as govs, Akpabio, Dangote, Peter Obi, Sanusi, others attend funeral (Photos)
AdminIt is an emotionally charged air at the funeral of the late Access Bank boss, Herbert Wigwe, his wife, Chizoba, and son, Chizi, at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Lion of Judah Parish, Isiokpi, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Tears welled up in many faces at the solemn occasion.
Herbert Wigwe, his wife, Doreen, son, Chizzy, and former Managing Director of Nigerian Exchange Group, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, died in a helicopter crash in the US on February 9. Their bodies arrived in the country yesterday, for today’s burial rights.
Roll call
Some of the dignitaries at the funeral today include Governors Sim Fubara (Rivers), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), and Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos).
Governor of Akwa Ubom state, Umo Eno; Governor of Imo state, Hope Uzodinma, and the King of Okochiri Kingdom, Ateke Tom, are there.
President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi: 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, are also at the event.
Also, the immediate past Bayelsa Governor, Senator Seriake Dickson, and former Ekiti Governor, Kayode Fayemi, are present.
Also there are the state’s Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, who is the chief security officer, CSO, of the burial ceremony, and Dr Godknows Igali, a former Nigerian Ambassador.
Members of the clergy, traditional rulers from the Omoeke, Wigwe’s hometown, and monarchs from Isiokpo in general are in attendance.
Below are some images from the Herbert Wigwe funeral:
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a mother for attempting to kill her sick child using a poisonous insecticide known as “Sniper’’.
The state Police Spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, told reporters on Saturday that the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, reported the attempted murder to the police on Friday.
He said the Chief Security Officer at the hospital reported to the police that the mother brought her one-year-and-seven-month-old daughter to the hospital for treatment.
Hundeyin added that the mother confessed to a doctor at the hospital that she gave the child “Sniper’’ to drink on Sunday when her convulsion was not abating.
“The mother said she gave the liquid to her child so she could rest from her excessive convulsions.
“Detectives were immediately dispatched to the hospital, where they met the baby receiving treatment.
“The mother has been taken in for investigation after the child had received treatment,’’ he said.
Nollywood actress, Biodun Okeowo, popularly known as Omoborty, has announced her engagement.
Despite maintaining privacy regarding her romantic life, the movie star took to her Instagram page to share the joyous news.
She disclosed that she said YES to her lover, expressing the overwhelming emotions she experienced during the heartfelt moment.
In her Instagram post, Biodun described the surprise and excitement she felt, recounting the trembling of her hands and the rush of emotions that flooded her.
With tears of joy, she enthusiastically accepted her partner’s proposal as he knelt before her. Surrounded by love and immersed in happiness, she affirmed her commitment to spend the rest of her life with her partner.
In her words:
“From the unexpected trembling in my hands to the overwhelming rush of emotions, I couldn’t hold back the tears of joy as he got down on one knee and asked me to be his forever.
In that surreal moment, surrounded by love and filled with happiness, I said yes to the man of my dreams. Here’s to the beautiful journey ahead as we embark on our forever together Ade mi . ????????????
#HeAsked #IsaidYES #Engaged #LoveWins#Godwins#Halleluyah.”
Watch the video below:
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Controversial Nigerian transvestite, Idris Okuneye also known as Bobrisky, has claimed that his luxury lifestyle is being sponsored by some billionaires from Nigeria.
Taking to social media to mark the International Women’s Day, Bobrisky described himself as the sexiest girl in the Nigerian entertainment industry at the moment.
The controversial crossdresser boasted that no woman can defeat him in terms of classy appearance and carriage. Bobrisky also said men are attracted to him, because he is hot and dressed the part.
Bobrisky took to the photo and video sharing app to share photos and captioned the post;
“Meet the most sexiest girl in Nigeria industry at the moment. Bob is known for her luxury lifestyle sponsored by some Nigeria billionaires.
She’s beautiful and she can slay. Men are attracted by the way she look hot ????????????No woman can beat bob when it comes to looking classy and carriage.”
Weeks back, Bobrisky finally responded to those questioning him over his real gender and what he has done with his manhood.
In a post on his Instagram page, Bobrisky told them to stop looking at his manhood nor wondering if he had cut them, as he explained that being a woman is beyond what it is between one’s leg.
Bobrisky noted how people, both offline and online always question if he has undergone surgery on to take out his manhood which he admitted always bothered him but after many years, he has developed a thick skin and doesn’t care.
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, on Friday lamented that the economic hardship in the country, as well as food scarcity, has turned many Nigerians into scavengers.
He submitted that if the government can not see it, they, as labour leaders, can see what is happening.
Ajaero made his views known on Friday in Abuja, when he spoke at the 11th quadrennial delegates conference of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria.
The NLC president said the government must not turn deaf ears and blind eyes to the sufferings of the people but must uphold its end of responsibilities to the people.
The Labour Leader also chided the government for saying the protest of the citizens against hardship were sponsored by some individuals.
He said, “Food has become so scarce that Nigerians have become scavengers and resorting to raiding food trucks and warehouses for food.
“If those in government cannot see the danger in what is happening, we see it and must ensure that the government fulfils its duties to the people.
“We are increasingly going hungry in our father’s land and cannot continue in this destitution. The greatest unifier and mobiliser of people is hunger. It insults common sense when those in government assume that somebody is sponsoring people who are protesting because of hunger.”
He noted that recent looting by Nigerians in certain places, including Abuja, was caused by government policies, which may escalate if nothing is done to address the issue.
“If anybody is arousing the people, it is those in government whose policies have impoverished the people and stripped them of those values that make them human beings.
“The looting of food trucks and warehouses is what you get when this happens. Unless something is done, this may unfortunately escalate. We pray it does not.
“Those who, therefore, think that they can stop us from this divine mission with their threats and violence should think twice. We cannot be cowed. We cannot surrender our natural mandate to powers and agents of poverty and emasculation. We are not after anybody’s job but we must insist that the instruments of governance must be used for the greater good of the people and not to wreck their lives,” Ajaero stated.
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Human rights activist, Dele Farotimi has said that President Bola Tinubu cannot isolate himself from the failures of his predecessor’s administration.
Farotimi insisted that Tinubu actively marketed Muhammadu Buhari to Nigerians in the buildup to the 2015 general elections, hence his involvement in the deeds of the past government.
The pro-Labour Party activist stated this during an appearance on Channels Television on Friday.
He argued that nothing has changed since May 2015, when the All Progressives Congress (APC) took over from ex-President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“The evidence of the last nine months are unimpeachable and cannot be denied. I know that the convenient excuse is that Buhari had damaged it (Nigeria) and he (Tinubu) is repairing it but who brough Buhari? Who was the chief marketer of Buhari in 2014/2015 when the ‘Change’ lie was sold to Nigerians?” he queried.
Speaking further, Farotimi advised Nigerians to prepare for more economic hardship caused by the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange windows.
“I am going to be 56 years old this year and in my entire lifetime, we have never been far away from greatness than we are today. The future of Nigeria appears bleak than it has ever been in my entire lifetime,” he added.
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He blamed the rot in Nigeria on “each and every one of us” but “most importantly, the “complete breakdown of the rule of law”.
Veteran Nollywood actress, Rita Dominic, has disclosed the delay in getting married was intentional.
Naija News reports that the movie star made this known in an interview with JOY TV.
Recall that in 2022, Rita Dominic, at age 46, married Nigerian Publisher, Fidelis Anosike, in a star-studded ceremony.
The thespian gave reasons for marrying late, saying she wanted to ensure she was marrying for the right reasons and not because of societal pressure.
She said, “We were friends for a long time, we found love date and we got married. I waited for so long because I wanted to be sure I was marrying for the right reasons and not for societal pressure. Even before I got married, there were pressure but I just turned deaf ear because if anything goes wrong in the marriage, I will be the one to pack up the pieces and you know the society. I promise to do it at the right time, and I believe I married at the right time.”
Blames insecurity, killings
Restiveness and killings in Anambra State and the Southeast geopolitical zone in general will deny women the opportunity of having spouses.
The declaration was made in the report of the Anambra Truth, Justice and Peace Commission (ATJPC), the Executive Summary of which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka, the state capital, yesterday.
It noted that restiveness and killings had resulted in a structural problem of demographic sustainability because women were finding it difficult to find mating partners.
The report stated that women are some of the worst-hit victims as they have suffered and might continue to suffer from killings, rape, loss of husbands and sons, and denial of livelihoods.
It noted also that thousands of young people had been killed since 1999 when restiveness became pronounced in the region, just as many had fled the rural areas.
“The killings from the ongoing violence in Igboland generally and in Anambra in particular due to violent crimes and claims of agitation have once again disproportionately affected the stock of young males in the region.
“It has reduced the likelihood that women will be able to find suitable mating or marriageable partners while also increasing the likelihood that females will end up unmarried and reproductively unfulfilled.
“It will further swell the number of unmarried women in the region, particularly among those who reside in the homeland and have limited interaction outside the boundaries of home.
“These women could remain unmarried or wait out their productive years in search of a suitor who has likely been killed.
“They may feel intimidated about giving birth to a child outside marriage for fear of being labeled wayward and humiliating their families for birthing children into illegitimacy,” it declared.
The report recalled the case of Amaka Igwe, the lawyer who was killed in Onitsha alongside her husband.
It also recalled the killing of Harira Jubril near Umunze in Orumba South Local Government Area on May 25, 2022 alongside her four daughters.
It stated that the killings had resulted into destitution or dependencies among men and had led to economic impoverishment for many women, mass widowhood and enforced childlessness.
It noted that in rural or farming communities, polygamy had remained prevalent and women’s access to land depended on their relationship with the men in their lives.
The livelihood consequences of the killings for women could be very severe, it stressed.
“Married women who have no sons can lose access to land and to subsistence in a political economy in which re-marriage can be quite difficult for a woman with children.
“Naturally, the additional stress of this kind of life on top of the trauma of the disappearance of the husband or bread-winner can lead to diminished outcomes for physical and mental health.
“As many communities devolved subsequently into more generalised forms of atrocity and violence, hospitals and healthcare facilities had been destroyed in the restiveness.
“Healthcare workers had become afraid of showing up for work and access to reproductive healthcare and facilities had become more rarefied in the rural areas.
“Unlike most other parts of Nigeria which have a problem of girl-child school enrolment, Anambra leads the states of Southeast Nigeria in a unique regional problem of diminishing boy-child school enrolment and retention,” it stated.
It noted that women typically contributed to the livelihood and education of their children, but with their sources of income cut off, their children were denied access to basic nutrition and to social services.
The report stressed that consequences of insecurity had negated previous progress made on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Anambra as young boys abandoned education and fled their communities for fear of being killed or abducted.
The United Nations created 17 world development goals called the SDGs in 2015 with the aim of peace and prosperity for people and the planet, then and into the future.
The goals have 2030 as their attainment target date.
Anambra’s 14-man ATJPC was inaugurated in June 2022 to investigate insecurity in Anambra and the Southeast in general.
It submitted its final report to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Wednesday.
It had Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, a human rights lawyer and former Chairman of Nigeria Human Rights Commission, as its chairman.
Says 24 million Nigerians currently in food crisis
Customs intercepts 880 bags of beans, 584 bags of onions, others
About 31.5 million people, including 83,846 IDPs in 26 states and the FCT, are expected to be in crisis or worse between June and August 2024, a report, Cadre Harmonisé, has said.
The report also stated that 24.7 million people including 14,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will be in food crisis or worse between March and May 2024.
Cadre Harmonisé is a food and nutrition insecurity analysis by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in collaboration with technical partners including the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Analysiing the result further, it noted that about 1.1 million people in Adamawa State are expected to be in crisis or worse between June and August 2024, and about 2.1 million people in Borno are expected to be in crisis or worse between June and August this year, while 1.5 million people in Yobe are expected to be in crisis or worse between June and August this year.
Also, deteriorated food consumption situation was also observed among populations in the inaccessible areas and the IDPs in Adanawa, Borno, Sokoto, and Zamfara states.
It noted that the deteriorating food consumption results from a significant spike in food prices due to high production and transportation costs caused by the removal of fuel subsidies and its resultant impact on inflation and consumer price index rates on both food and basic non-food items.
The report noted that the high cost of transport, inflation rate, and the volatile dollar-naira exchange rate have negatively affected households’ income.
In the projected period (June to August 2024), poor microeconomic conditions and conflicts are expected to drive limited access to livelihood opportunities.
“The nutrition situation in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) and northwest states of Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara revealed the prevalence of malnutrition for Under-5 children to be in crisis in the current situation.
However, the report said key drivers of the crisis include conflict and insecurity, fuel scarcity, naira devaluation currency crisis, and rising inflation and Consumer Price Index (CPI) rates.
In his remarks, Country Representative of the FAO to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Koffy Kouacou Dominique, said the FAO will continue to support the Cadre Harmonisé process, especially in terms of funding as well as technical support and capacity building, across the country.
Dominique, who was represented by the Deputy FAO Country Representative, Suleiman Abubakar, said the Cadre Harmonisé analysis produces the most reliable and widely acceptable data/results for humanitarian programming and food security.
Read Also: NLC to Fed Govt: let salaries, wages be commensurate with cost of living
Also, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Temitope Fashedemi, who was represented by the Director of Special duties, Adedayo Modupe, said the government has put machinery in place to address the challenges to food and nutrition insecurity.
Meanwhile, the Seme border command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone ‘A’, Ikeja has intercepted 880 bags of white beans, 584 bags of onions and 400 sacks of grains on the verge of being smuggled into Benin Republic.
The unit also intercepted export bound trucks loaded with 18 bags of dry pepper at Ajilete/Idiroko Road in Ogun State.
During a press briefing in Lagos yesterday, its Area Controller, Hussein Ejibunu, said instead of seizing the food items, the unit ensured the trucks were re-directed to the Nigerian markets where they were sold to Nigerians by the owners.
The Customs chief also raised the alarm over smugglers new defined means of smuggling foreign parboiled rice in petroleum Jerry cans.
According to him, the act is not only illegal but also exposes the potential consumers to the risk of eating contaminated grains that have ingested poisonous properties possibly from premium motor spirit (PMS), diesel or other petroleum products.
“Due to violation of various sections of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, and the federal government import and export prohibition guidelines, we vigorously and relentlessly prosecuted our anti-smuggling campaign which resulted in a total number of 93 seizures, arrest of nine suspects made to prevent smuggling and protect our national economy. The seizures made are worth a total duty paid value of N751.1million.
“As usual, rice was top on the list of our February 2024 seizures in terms of volume and value. A total of 3,779 X 50kg bags of suspected foreign rice equivalent to over seven trailer loads worth over N365 million were seized from various parts of the South West.
“Other items seized in the month under review include one locally made gun and six pieces of empty cartridges at Abeokuta road, 731 parcels of Indian hemp weighing 482kg, 1 X 40ft container found to contain 286 cartons of new rubber slippers, seven units of used motorcycles, 28,000 litres of premium motor spirit (PMS) and 2,420 pieces of used tyres.
“Worthy of note is the interception of export bound three trucks headed to the Republic of Benin laden with 880 bags of white beans, 584 bags of onions and 18 bags of dry pepper at Ajilete/Idiroko road in Ogun state.
“Instead of seizing the food items, this Unit ensured the trucks were re-directed to the Nigerian markets where they were sold to Nigerians by the owners. The seizures made are worth a total duty paid value of N751.1million,” he stated.
Ejibunu also disclosed that N78.16 million was recovered as revenue into the federation account through the issuance of Demand Notice (DN) on Customs duties that were discovered to be underpaid.
“We also prevented the smuggling of eleven exotic used vehicles worth over N200 million into the country through our area of responsibility. Smugglers of these vehicles met our stiff resistance against their duty evasion and deviant behaviour.”
Ejibunu added that the “sum of N78,164,255.20 was recovered as revenue into the federation account through the issuance of demand notices (DN) on Customs duties that were discovered to be underpaid.
“These outcomes were achieved despite the unrepentant behaviour of economic saboteurs who deploy many tricks and antics to beat our checks but they failed.
As we approach the Easter celebration, he said, “we have strengthened our intelligence-led anti-smuggling operations strategies to forestall any attempt by smugglers and duty evaders to circumvent the law.”