Syngenta, a global leader in agricultural innovation, is enhancing its commitment to sustainable farming by expanding its biological research and development. The company has acquired Novartis’s collection of natural compounds and genetic strains for agricultural applications, while Novartis retains exclusive rights for pharmaceutical uses. Biologicals are agricultural technologies that utilize natural processes to protect and enhance crop health. They complement traditional agricultural inputs, offering farmers more options to manage pests and diseases while promoting sustainable practices. This acquisition includes transferring Novartis’s Natural Products and Biomolecular Chemistry team to Syngenta and leasing Novartis’s fermentation pilot plant and laboratories in Basel, Switzerland.…
Author: Abdoulaye Kay
Listeria, a type of bacteria, is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the US, killing about 260 people a year.
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)/Transparency International Nigeria has commended Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, for launching Operation Safe Corridor, an initiative aimed at addressing insecurity through non-kinetic approaches. According to the governor, the program focuses on disarmament, de-radicalization, and reintegration of repentant bandits who surrender unconditionally, helping them transition back into society. In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, CISLAC praised the initiative, emphasizing that shifting from military-based operations to non-kinetic strategies aligns with efforts to combat banditry effectively. The organization highlighted that many individuals were drawn into banditry due to illiteracy, poverty, and…
A new report has collated evidence of female genital mutilation (FGM) in 94 countries, revealing how this harmful practice exists in more communities than previously recognized and the number of girls and women affected or at risk exceeds earlier estimates. Efforts to end FGM/C remain hindered by reluctance from governments to act, particularly in countries not widely associated with FGM/C. Other obstacles include weak legal protections, insufficient data, low awareness, and a lack of funding and decisive action from the international community.‘The Time Is Now: End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, An Urgent Need for a Global Response – Five Year Update,’…
The peaceful inauguration of Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa as the elected governor of Ondo State has been attributed to divine intervention and the governor’s good intentions, according to several anonymous sources. These individuals, who spoke to our reporters across the ancient autonomous and recently recognized kingdom communities in Akure North, Akure South, and Ifedore Local Government Areas on Monday, claimed that a major crisis was narrowly averted. By Kemi Kasumu and our reporters According to them, the inauguration could have been disrupted by a plot orchestrated on Sunday by the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladelusi Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo. The monarch allegedly attempted…
President of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Aliko Dangote has revealed that his company, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, has enough Premium Motor Spirit (PMS otherwise known as petrol) in storage to sufficiently meet the local needs of Nigeria. Speaking at the weekend, Dangote disclosed that the oil refinery has “more than half a billion litres of petroleum and over 600 billion Naira worth of products in its tanks. Dangote said, “…as we speak right now we have more than half a billion litres. The Refinery is producing enough refined products, like gasoline, diesel, and kerosene, to meet 100 per cent of…
Maintaining its position as Africa’s leading conglomerate, Dangote Industries Limited has embraced cutting-edge technology to optimize efficiency across its subsidiaries. Speaking at the just-concluded 46th Kaduna International Trade Fair, Senior Advisor to the President of the Dangote Group, Fatima Wali Abdurrahman, highlighted the company’s ongoing digitization efforts, emphasizing their role in accelerating manufacturing and sales processes. “As some of you may be aware, we have digitized our manufacturing and sales operations by deploying automated and smart systems, particularly in our cement plants,” she stated during the Dangote Special Day, aligning with the Trade Fair’s theme: Promoting Efficiency in Manufacturing, Trade,…
The world’s love for chocolate is being threatened, and the people who grow its key ingredient—cacao or cocoa —are bearing the brunt of climate change. In West Africa, where 70% of the world’s cacao is produced, rising temperatures and erratic rainfall are making it harder for farmers to cultivate the crop that fuels a multi-billion-dollar industry. A new study by Climate Central has found that human-caused climate change has made extreme heat 10 times more likely in the region, intensifying the crisis for farmers and pushing cocoa prices up by 400% in recent years. Over the past decade, West Africa’s…
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has rejected attempts by former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd), to absolve himself of responsibility for the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election. In a statement issued on Sunday, February 23, 2025, MURIC’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, criticized Babangida’s claims in his newly released memoir, A Journey in Service, which was unveiled at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, on February 20, 2025. “We, at the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), categorically reject IBB’s attempt to shift blame for the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election. He cannot rewrite history. The…
Former President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida’s (IBB) attempt to remove the ethnic label from Nigeria’s first military coup may not have succeeded, as a counter-explanation argues that it could only be described as an Igbo-led coup. This perspective was presented in reaction to Babangida’s book, A Journey in Service, by a former member of the Provisional Ruling Council (PRC) and Minister of Communications under General Sani Abacha’s regime, Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju (Rtd). In Chapter 3, page 39, under the topic “A Young Officer and a Gentleman,” Babangida attempts to exonerate the first coup plotters from ethnic motivations. While Olanrewaju somewhat…