ABUJA, Nigeria, May 2, 2019/ — Senior Nigerian government officials and key investors have endorsed the African Development Bank’s (www.AfDB.org) Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) initiative, describing it as a pathway to Africa’s agricultural revolution. SAPZs are designed to concentrate agro-processing activities within areas of high agricultural potential in order to increase productivity and competitiveness. The initiative will provide millions of youth and rural men and women with employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. Speaking at an investment forum held Tuesday at the Bank’s office in Abuja, Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, said the country was eager to…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
A Professor of Nuclear Radiation and Medical Physics with the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Prof. Adeseye Arogunjo has stated that radiation that emanate from power lines, home wiring, airport and military radar, sub stations, transformers, computers, cell phones and domestic appliances are major causes of leukemia, brain tumors, miscarriages, chronic fatigue, headaches, cataracts, stress, nausea, sleep disturbance and other health and dermatological problems. He stated this while making a presentation titled: “Nuclear Radiation Paradox and Phobia: Public Health Nexus in a phlegmatic populace” at the 106th Inaugural lecture of the University, Tuesday. According to Arogunjo, “non-thermal low intensity…
A Consultant Ophthalmologist with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), College of Medicine of University of Lagos, Prof. Adeola Onakoya on Wednesday called on government at all levels to establish Vision Care Centres in rural areas to bring sub-specialist care to the unreached areas. According to her, there is no presence of Ophthalmologists and Optometrists in rural areas, as majority are skewed to urban centres. “Ophthalmologist population ratio is 1:350,000 but skewed to urban centres. If their only focus is in the urban centres, how then will the rural people gain access to quality and affordable care? “How will a…
Over 200 million women around the world who want to prevent pregnancy are unable to access contraception, the UN said on Wednesday. According to the State of World Population report from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), in spite of increases in the number of women using modern contraceptives, reproductive rights are still out of reach for many women. The report noted significant gains made in women’s reproductive rights since UNFPA began its work 50 years ago. However, highlights that millions of women across the world still face economic, social and institutional barriers when it comes to their health. In 51…
Dr Uthman Mubashir, a public health physician, on Wednesday urged the Federal Government to provide adequate vaccines for the prevention of meningitis in the country. Mubashir, a Consultant at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), gave the advice in Ilorin, saying the country was presently contending with extreme heat wave and an outbreak of the disease in parts of the country. According to the consultant, meningitis tends to set in at the peak of the dry season due to the hot weather. He described meningitis as an inflammation of the membranes (meninges) surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Mubashir added…
A major landslide on Sunday destroyed 10 houses in Odi community, Kolokuma-Opokuma Area Council of Bayelsa. The incident which occurred near the bank of the River Nun caused panic in the community. Mr James Dounana, a resident in Odi attributed the landslide to marine erosion, saying it might have been triggered by indiscriminate sand dredging from the River. “It was God’s doing that the incident happened during the day and not night. It is one of the many challenges faced by riverine communities. It started at about 7: 00 a.m. as earth tremor; and two hours later, the ground gave way…
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) will begin an awareness drive to mitigate the effect of flooding in Gombe ahead of the raining season. Mr Daniel Wuave, the Coordinator of NESREA in Gombe, who disclosed this on Monday said this would address the unpredictable changes in the climate. He said that people needed to change their negative attitude towards the environment, because “it could have severe devastating effect on our environment.” He decried the attitude of Nigerians of dumping wastes in drainages and building houses on water channels, which leads to flooding across the country. According to…
Guri local government in Jigawa will vaccinate 21,300 livestock against contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBP) and pests des petits ruminants (PPR). This would be done under the 2019 Animal Vaccination Programme. Alhaji Kabiru Haruna, the Head of Department of Agriculture in the area, disclosed this in an interview on Monday. He said the animals to be vaccinated will include 10,000 cows, 11,000 goats and sheep as well as 300 dogs. Haruna said livestock owners in the area had already been informed to visit veterinary clinics nearest to them with their animals to access the vaccines. He noted that the vaccination would…
The North-East Commodity Association (NECAS) says it is targetting 20 hectares of cotton production and has mobilised nearly 10, 000 farmers in Gombe State to boost the production of the commodity in the state. Alhaji Yahaya Umar, the Gombe State Head of Agriculture, NECAS who made this known in Gombe on Monday, stressed that the cultivation of cotton in the North-east sub-region needed a boost to meet local and export demands. Umar stated that the focus of the association is to enhance to a large scale, the production of cotton in the sub-region, specifically in Gombe, adding that the target…
The Nigeria Meteorological Society (NMetS), says farmers need proper guidance from agriculture extension workers as they commence farming activities following the prevailing weather condition in the country. Accoding to its President, Prof. Clement Akoshile “as the weather carries a lot of heat waves and hot air, there should be agriculture extension services to farmers, to enable them understand the weather predictions. ”Thank God that the agriculture extension workers are around to educate farmers on when to plant and when not to plant. ”With the harsh weather condition this period, their guidance is necessary for farmers not to incur pre- and…