A suspected bandit informant, Dan Abba, has been arrested by vigilantes at Bishini village market in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The suspect was apprehended while attempting to sell a stolen cow at the village market.

A resident of Azzara, Ahmadu Sajo, was said to have informed the local security men about Dan Abba’s presence at the market square.

The suspect is believed to be associated with bandits who have been responsible for the abduction of herders and the theft of their cattle in various areas, including Kuchimi, Haying-Dam, and the Gidan-Makeri region of Kagarko town.

It was gathered that the suspect had been declared wanted by the troops in the vicinity, along with other suspects who were fleeing.

However, luck evaded him until last Thursday when he was apprehended at the village market while in possession of a stolen cow.

The informant mentioned that the suspect, along with the stolen cow, was handed over to the troops. Additionally, he informed that the vigilantes were actively trying to track down the whereabouts of some of the other stolen cows.

“The vigilantes suspected that the cow the suspect brought to the market might be among those cows that were stolen two weeks ago at a village in Kagarko LGA,” Daily Trust quoted Sajo saying.

However, the state police command has not issued an official statement regarding the development yet.

Ernest Umakihe, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), has disclosed that Nigeria might soon start importing yam from China, for local consumption.

Umakihe stated this while speaking at a stakeholders workshop on repositioning yam as an export crop, with the theme, ‘Prospects and Challenges of yam export in Nigeria.' 

Leadership reports that Umakihe lamented that despite accounting for 67% of global yam output, it was unfortunate that Nigeria is nowhere on the map of yam exporting countries.

He expressed concerns that with China delving into yam exportation, and considering Nigerian's taste for imported goods, Chinese yam may soon be found in Nigerian kitchens if care is not taken, thereby pushing more Nigerians into the unemployment market and reducing the income of yam farmers.

Umakihe said Nigeria’s first attempt at exporting yam was by Nasarawa State Government in 2009 with 8.5 metric tonnes and within the same month another 66 metric tonnes were exported in two shipments, followed by Oyo State, but without success. He also said that the Ministry’s attempt to revive yam export in 2017 was poorly handled.

“It was only in 2017 that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture under the leadership of Chief Audu Ogbeh, then Minister, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development organised the first flag-off ceremony (of yam) with a batch of 72 tons to UK and USA. I believe these were done without proper planning before the execution. Aside the mentioned attempts, nothing much has been heard of the yam export from Nigeria,” he said.

Umakihe said it is the duty of Nigerians to find out what went wrong and how to address.

Four suspects including three Nigerian men, Igboke Okwuchukwu Stephen, Ilo Ebuka Titus and Kanu Arinze, were arrested on Saturday night, March 16, 2024, in a crackdown on drug traffickers and peddlers in Nairobi, Kenya.

The crackdown is being conducted by a joint operation spearheaded by Anti-Narcotics and Transnational Organized Crimes detectives.

The first suspect, Igboke Okwuchukwu Stephen was found with several pellets of brown powdery substance concealed in his house at Nasra Estate, Nairobi. He was booked at Muthaiga Police Station.

In a stop-and-search operation in Ruaka, Kiambu County, 25-year-old Njuguna Karumo was arrested after a similar substance were found hidden under the mats of his motorbike. He was taken to DCI’s Mazingira Complex for questioning.

In Nyamakima, Nairobi CBD, an intelligence-led operation led to the arrest of Ilo Ebuka Titus and Kanu Arinze who were cornered and escorted to their residence at Sunton, Kasarani.

On searching the house, suspected bhang and a package of brown powdery substance were found and seized.

“Kanu and Ebuka were also taken to Muthaiga P/Station pending testing of the drugs and possible prosecution for use and peddling,” the DCI says.

The DCI says that the operation, which extends to all counties, is aimed at fighting the vice from the grassroot, with the police firmly enforcing anti-narcotic laws.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has selected Hon. Dennis Idahosa as its deputy governorship candidate in the September 21 Edo governorship election.

Idahosa will serve as a running mate for the APC candidate in the state, Senator Monday Okpebholo.

Recall that Idahosa was one of the aspirants who vied for the APC ticket for the Edo governorship election during the party primaries but lost to Okpebholo, who eventually emerged as the party’s flag bearer for the November 21, 2024 election.

At a meeting on Sunday night, Idahosa was unveiled in the presence of the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, Okpebholo himself, and several other party chieftains.

Ganduje, along with the party’s National Secretary, Sen. Ajibola Bashiru, is scheduled to present Okpebholo and Idahosa to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the villa today.

Idahosa is slated to take the place of Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, who was named by the governorship candidate last week as his running mate.

That Nigeria’s economy is in bad shape, is no longer news. Food and other necessities are hard to come by.

However, no matter what turn the economy takes, Nigerians, by their unique nature, will always find survival alternatives.

That is why although it sounds unthinkable to see, anywhere in the world, where bamboos are used in place of irons to cast pillars and decking of building constructions, Nigeria has found in convenient.

The high cost of building materials is making many homeowners go for cheap alternatives for construction.

While many Nigerians whose buildings are under construction are abandoning them, waiting for when prices of materials will go down, most frustrated ones are selling off their uncompleted properties to interested buyers.
But others have decided to invent conventional means by replacing iron rods with bamboo.

Economy&Lifestyle discovered that home construction engineers now use bamboo, laced with construction wires to cast decking and pillars of buildings.

Usually, for such buildings, Iron rods are used in these areas to create rigidity and firmness.
Bamboo, a woody plant with hollow stems is in the grass family. It is always used for scaffolding in tall buildings replacing steel irons merged together with screws.

According to Mr. Andrew Asaga, a building engineer, 12mm, 16mm, 20mm, 25mm, 10mm, or 8mm iron rods are recommended for building apartments depending on the strength of the material and the designs specified.

He added: “Bamboo can also do the job of an iron rods to an extent.
“Some persons now use only bamboo for the pillars.
“Some mix bamboo with iron rods for the decking to save cost.
“Others now use only bamboo for decking.

“An iron rod costs between N10,000 to N30,000 depending on the size.
“This was twice the price it was sold for last year.

Few weeks ago, a client who wanted to build a bungalow asked that I use bamboo mixed with iron rods to build the pillars because the cost of iron rods has increased.

“He wanted me to construct 8 pillars for the building and would need four 12 mm iron rods for a pillar.
“A ton of 12mm (93 pieces) is now over N1.3 million .

“I don’t know where this country is heading to.”

Mr. Atanaza Godbless, an engineer said: ” Building developers are no longer making profits in the business.
” This is because the cost of building materials are increasing daily.

“When you make a quotation for clients today and they respond next week, you get to the market and discover that the prices of the materials you quoted have increased tremendously.

“You are left with nothing to settle with your workers.
“At the end you see engineers running away leaving workers unpaid.
“And such a person is being labelled bad.
“People are now settling for less alternatives of building materials.
“The cost of iron rods for instance, is making people use bamboo.

“The government is seeing all these and nothing is being done to reduce the cost of building materials.
“The result of these alternatives is having inferior buildings and increased building collapse.”

The strong bonds between concrete and the iron rods ensure stronger constructions as external forces cannot easily break these bonds and the concrete will not slip away from these rods as they are tied together during construction.

Mrs. Fatimetu Momoh, a bamboo seller said the price of a piece of bamboo has also increased from N400 per bamboo to N1500.

She added: “Even used ones now go for N900 which was sold for N200.

“Those supplying the bamboo are complaining of logistics and levies paid on the road.

“This is not something we import. Or do we start importing bamboo? Something we have in our country.
“There is no business that is not frustrated in today’s economy. I pray God will save us from this horrible situation.”

Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State believes Nigeria’s biting economic situation is an “inevitable” phase for the betterment of the nation.

Soludo stated this in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.

Recall that Nigeria’s inflation level rose to 31.70 per cent in February with the cost of living shooting up in the wake of the fuel subsidy removal and the floating of the naira.

Reacting to the development, Soludo said this is a phase needed before the country begins to flourish.

He said, “You see, sometimes, I kind of feel we don’t get it.”

On the nation’s economy, Soludo likened the country’s situation to a patient undergoing treatment.

He said, “But whether there will be pains for any step you take or the other, it is going to be. It is inevitable. But that is obviously what we need to pass through,” he said, maintaining that President Bola Tinubu inherited a bad economy upon assumption of office in May 2023.

“We must realise that things were really bad. We must get it clear that there is no easy way to get this patient who has multiple problems [to become better],” Soludo added.

Soludo, who is marking his second year in office, also spoke about his achievements since 2022, adding that his government has created jobs for the masses.

”In the first nine months of coming into office, we have employed over 5,000 teachers and processing 2,000 more,” the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor said.

“We have employed over 1,000 health workers and in the area of security, we have over 2,000 employed.”

Earlier in the day, Soludo told a congregation during a thanksgiving service to celebrate his two years in office that he is not drawing salaries from the Anambra government. This, he said, is part of austerity measures.

“As I speak to you, I am not taking any salary, I am not paid any salary by Anambra State government. Even the First Lady of Anambra doesn’t have any official car, she still drives my personal vehicles,” he said.

A former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Christopher Kolade Nigerian politicians of today only work for their personal interest above national interest.

Kolade stated this in an interview with Channels Television during the week.

The elder statesman said he never joined politics because he “would not be able to be myself.”

According to him, things have changed compared to the politicians of the first republic — from 1963 to 1966 — who “actually were serving the country”, and were imprisoned because of their beliefs.

He said, “My view of politics is that the practice of politics can be very sensitive and one can begin to do things, begin to participate in decisions that conflict with the values, the standards, the principles that one believes. That has been my experience.

“I’ve never gone into politics because the way it was being practised, I thought I would not be able to be myself if I became a politician now.

“That may be simply my own weakness but this is the situation and so when I see politicians today and the way they behave, if I compare today’s politicians with politicians of the First Republic, for example.

“I can tell that my experience of the politicians of the First Republic was that they actually worked for Nigeria; they actually were serving the country;

“…they put themselves and their own interests lower than the national interests and some of them in order to serve the country well were actually imprisoned, they suffered hardships in order to get the country to where they thought it should go.

“I think that has changed. I believe that today many politicians, in fact most politicians that I know of, tend to put their own interests ahead of the national interest,” he said.

Recall that Kolade was appointed by the Goodluck Jonathan administration in 2012 to chair the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P).

But, Kolade said his friends advised him against accepting the role to safeguard his reputation.

He said despite the advice to decline the offer, he went on to accept the job because “somebody must do it.”

Kolade said, “In fact, there was a group of young people that I was mentoring at the time and they said to me in a meeting: ‘We respect you too much, don’t go for this.

“I asked for God’s direction, I asked them a question: ‘I said so if I don’t take it, if I say because I want to protect my reputation I don’t take it, whom shall I point to and say you take it, you go and endanger your reputation, you go and do this?’ I said so I cannot refuse to take it because I know somebody must do it.

“What I can do is to say if I go and do it, God is able to see me through it. That was what happened.

“So, friends can tell me their preference and sometimes I even have my own preference but I remember always that I’m God’s child and that he has my best interests at heart.”

Kolade resigned his appointment in 2013 as a result of age, corruption and transparency-related issues.

Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State supervised the distribution of food aid to over 52,000 families in seven local government areas of Southern Borno to alleviate the hardship caused by inflation and the current economic problems bedeviling the country.

The distribution took place on Sunday at the Biu township stadium. 

The benefiting local governments include Biu, Shani, Chibok, Askira-Uba, Kwaya Kusar, Bayo and Hawul.

This is as Senator representing Southern Borno, Mohammed Ali Ndume also urged people in the constituency not to sell the food and non -food items donated to them by Governor Zulum, but to use it in cushioning the current economic hardships.

The governor said, “This morning, we are in Biu to provide palliatives to 52,000 vulnerable families in southern Borno. This is in continuation of our efforts to provide food and non-food items to the less privileged in society.

“We have not consistently given food items to people in southern Borno because they are not deeply affected by the insurgency. However, due to the current hike in food prices, the government has decided to come in and support the people with food aid”, the governor added.

“Each beneficiary will collect 25kg bag of rice and 25kg bag of maize,” Governor Zulum stated.

In Biu local government area, 17,000 families each got a bag of rice and a bag of maize grain. 5,000 families benefited from Shani, Bayo, Kwaya Kusar, Chibok and Hawul local government areas, while in Askira-Uba, 10,000 bags of rice and maize were given to Uba and Askira- Emirates.

Distributes N100m to 2,000 youth, women farmers

Meanwhile, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum distributed over N100m to 2,000 youth and women to support them in cultivating their farmlands

Zulum said, “In addition to the food distribution, we are giving out N100m grant to 2,000 beneficiaries, each receiving N50,000. This grant is for them to use in cultivating their farmlands.

“We hope the money will help them in their farming activities”, he stated.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Governor of Borno, Umar Usman Kadafur, who hails from Biu, urged beneficiaries to make good use of the food gesture and grant provided by the governor.

Dont sell palliatives given to you by government – Ndume urges constituents

Senator representing Southern Borno, Mohammed Ali Ndume has urged people in his constituency not to sale food and non -food items donated to them by Governor Babagana Zulum, but to use it in cushioning the current economic hardships.

Ndume who is the Chief Whip at the national assembly commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for given approval of palliatives worth N200 million to each Senator for onward distribution to people in their respective communities.

He noted he has since embarked on distribution of such palliatives to his constituents in order to complement good efforts of Borno State Government under the leadership of Governor Zulum.

His words, ” I want to use this opportunity to thank our Governor for considering the people of Southern Borno under this very difficult and expensive situation. This palliatives is coming at a right time because we are in person of Ramadan Kareem.

“At least, each of the 52,000 beneficiaries will go home with 25kg bags of rice and maize, while 2,000 youths including women were given N50,000 each as empowerment grants by the state government. This is highly commendable.

“Likewise, I thank President Bola Tinubu for supporting each Senator with grains and rice worth N200 million. As you can see Borno has taken the lead in distribution of palliatives more than any state in the whole of the federation, and I want to urge our people to maintain law and order throughout the distribution exercise,” Ndume stated.

In a related development, Governor Zulum unveiled Water projects in Azare, the headquarters of Hawul local government area.

According to the Commissioner Ministry of Water Resources, Engr Tijjani Goni, the Water tank is about 965 liters which would be powered by solar borehole that will distribute water to Azare town and it’s environs