In the realm of budget allocations, the Northern region of Nigeria, with its vast population and expansive landmass, has consistently found itself at a disadvantage. The 2024 budget allocation is no exception, as the region has once again been overlooked and marginalized. Surprisingly, the elected representatives from the North, who are supposed to advocate for the good of the region, have remained silent, succumbing to their own insatiable greed and fear.
Author: Editor
Once again, there is outrage throughout Nigeria as armed men invaded communities in Plateau State over the Christmas weekend killing an estimated 200 innocent villagers and forcing tens of thousands to flee their land in search of self-preservation. For Plateau state, it has been over twenty years that such attacks have occurred regularly. As is the tradition, our President, Bola Tinubu, in a statement in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, condemned the attacks and ordered a manhunt for the killers. Tinubu assured Nigerians that “these envoys of death, pain, and sorrow will not escape justice.” We have heard such condemnation/promise to act hundreds of times from our successive Ogas that all we do is shrug our shoulders and move on until our turn comes.
With the important announcement of the accession of United Nations to the nation’s request for the extension of the country’s Continnental Shelf a few days ago, no one should be in doubt any longer about the rising capacities of Nigeria in the emerging geopolitical equation, globally.
Ceteris Paribus, it is expected to repeat and surpass its outstanding performances in the 1445 AH Hajj Airlift. We also hope if it continues to do well with others, the hitches Nigeria experiences in Hajj Airlifting might be a thing of the past.
My last week’s piece closed with a poser: Are the two Ministers of Agriculture and Food Security, Senators Kyari and Abdullahi, capable of breaking the jinx of poverty and hunger associated with Nigerians? Answering this question requires an in-depth analysis of Tinubu’s policy and direction toward achieving food security for Nigeria. Petroleum subsidy withdrawal skyrocketed the fuel price by 217% that caused astronomical cost of living. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a state of emergency on food security on July 14, 2023, to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal. As I wrote in this Column, the declaration of emergency is the best policy pronouncement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT).
Rivers, a state so rich because God blessed it with an abundance of crude oil and gas, is named after the many rivers that border its territory. Forty per cent of Nigeria’s output of crude oil is produced in the state. It also has deposits of silica sand, glass sand and clay.
Northern Nigeria has been abandoned by its own leaders, who have shown a lack of courage and capacity to effectively lead the region. While these leaders enjoy the luxuries afforded by their ill-gotten wealth, the North is being systematically marginalized, destroyed, and weakened.
Let me begin by asking you to forgive me for communicating with you through this rather unorthodox medium but I have no other way of reaching you and I fear that a formal, private letter and communication to your office in Tel Aviv may never make it past your Chief of Staff or to your desk.
The Africa wide Agriculture extension week (AAEW2003), held on 27-28 in Abuja Nigeria, marked a significant milestone in the collective pursuit of the Action Plans for strengthening the partnership between CGIAR and the Africa’s Research, Innovation and Education coordinating Institutions (AARIEIs).
For the first time at a climate COP, food and agriculture seem to be taken seriously. On December 1, 134 world leaders signed up for a landmark agriculture, food, and climate action declaration that aims to address emissions from agriculture while improving food security and protecting farmers’ livelihoods. Country signatories include agricultural big-hitters Brazil, the United States, and China, representing 5.7 billion people.