In the early part of the year, 2013, the Agricultural Complex of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria received members of the Joint House Committee on Agriculture who came for an oversight function. During the introduction of personalities, the then Executive Director of the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Professor Balarabe Tanimu of blessed memory was introduced as professor of groundnut agronomy, and IAR, a research center with the mandate of genetic improvement of groundnut among other agricultural commodities. During the opening remarks, the leader of the delegation, a distinguished senator enthusiastically challenged the distinguished scholar, Professor Tanimu, and the Institute to…
Author: Editor
Aminu Isyaku, still remembers the first time he sighted the much-talked-about ‘armed robbers’ in his hometown in Zazzaga. He recounts seeing them everywhere and fully armed. In his words, “I thought they were more than us (the residents). I saw them looking like Pastoralists but with heavy guns. I remembered crawling into a well for safety. I stayed inside the well until I could no longer hear the sound of gunshots but the wailing of people. His brother, Isyaku Zubairu also recounts seeing the bandits tie a member of the vigilante in the area to the back of their motorcycle…
… FUTO’s Prof. Pantami Saga explained differently Obviously, the Triple Helix model of Innovation that the National Universities commission (NUC) is advocating and promoting, and which is the current global best practice, is strange to a lot of people. The courage of FUTO and Pantami to practically actualize this in our University system needs to be encouraged and applauded, NOT criticised ignorantly by even the so called experts in the academia. In concepts such as the Knowledge Economy, the Triple Helix model of innovation seeks to promote interactions between the Academia, industry and government in order to Foster Economic and…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe It is common perception that the US justice system is fair and just. This investigation, based on some evidence and other reports find two justice systems, one for the whites and the other for racial minorities, especially the blacks. The investigation uncovers innumerable instances of real life cases of the most egregious forms of injustices in the U.S. Examples: Court exonerates black man after 42 years in prison: A Missouri black America man, Kevin Strickland, was wrongfully convicted of a triple murder in 1978 and imprisoned in 1979 at age 18. He has been exonerated and released…
After years of delays the sixth summit of European Union (EU) and African Union (AU) heads of state and government happens in Brussels, Belgium on 17 and 18 February, under the joint chairmanships of the host country and Senegal. The summit is important owing to its potential to reset the Europe–Africa relationship in the changed context of post-Covid-19 green recovery, and the entire question of climate change as a looming emergency. It is coming in a year in which both continents seek to extend their geopolitical roles and create economic transformation of their peoples after suffering the consequences of the…
I am beginning to see signs of evolving plans to stop the President from signing the Electoral Bill and I seriously hope that I am wrong. On Monday this week, Abubakar Malami, the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation declared in an interview with Channels Television that President Buhari may withhold assent from the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill if it is considered to have proposals based on personal interests. It was a strange comment because he said it had just arrived on his table and he had not yet studied it. If he had not read it, why…
The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) in Nigeria had called for participatory, inclusive, peaceful, free, fair and credible council Polls in the council polls scheduled to hold in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Saturday. This is contained in a statement by the chairperson of the group, Auwal Rafsanjani made available to ASHENEWS on Wednesday. “Local governments are a very crucial and integral components of our democracy. As the third tier of government, it is the closest government to the people and is positioned to affect directly the day-to-day activities of citizens thereby reinforcing the centrality of the councils to the…
By Habibu Harisu The Federal Neuro Psychiatric Hospital, Sokoto has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for federal government’s COVID-19 interventions across healthcare systems in the country. The Medical Director and Consultant Psychiatrist, Prof. Shehu Sale said in Sokoto on Wednesday that the federal government had funded major projects in its COVID-19 interventions scheme. He also commended the Minister of State for Health, Adele Mamora for the support toward achieving the successes in the hospital. Sale mentioned the completed projects to include construction and equipping of intensive care unit, molecular laboratory, isolation centre and procurement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). According to…
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has condemned what it described as needless federal government clampdown on ‘Idon Mikiya’, a Hausa programme on Abuja-based radio station, Vision FM. The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) had imposed a fine on the station and suspended the programme for allegedly discussing issues about a national security agency. The Executive Director of CISLAC, Comrade Auwal Rafsanjani, in a statement he personally signed, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to call the NBC to order, saying that level of intolerance and impunity is getting out of hands and it has no place in a democracy. “We call…
Kano state Agro-Pastoral Development Bank, KSADP, has awarded consultancy services contracts, totaling N291,302,229.75, for design and supervision of some projects in parts of Kano state. Consultancy for design and supervision services for development of commercial large scale fodder was awarded to Hamjik Agric Plus at the cost of N120,610,000, even as development of 1,950 kilometers of major and minor stock routes, was awarded to the same firm at N108,380,000. Akam Consultant Ltd. was awarded the consultancy for the provision of assorted infrastructure at Dawanau International Grains market at N29,775,000, Emwai Consult Ltd., improvement of five cattle markets at the cost…