The federal government, in its bid to address deforestation in the country has distributed cooking gas cylinders to smallholder women farmers in the North Central Geopolitical Zone. The Ministry of Agriculture had carried out a similar programme in other zones of the country to tackle deforestation, one of the major causes of climate change. Dr Ernest Umakhihe, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, during the distribution on Thursday, March 3, 2022, in Abuja, said the cylinders would help the women to improve their health and productivity. The cylinders were distributed on the sideline of the opening…
Author: Newsdesk
The UN Human Rights Council, in a resolution, adopted on Friday in Geneva, agreed to establish a commission to investigate violations committed during Russia’s military attack on Ukraine. Thirty-two countries voted in favour of the resolution, which was presented by Ukraine. Russia and Eritrea voted against it, while 13 nations abstained. Council Members observed a minute of silence to honour the victims of the bloodshed. The resolution calls for the “swift and verifiable” withdrawal of Russian troops and Russian-backed armed groups from Ukraine and urges safe and unhindered humanitarian access to people in need. The independent international Commission of Inquiry…
The Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, retired Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has advised Nigerian youths not let themselves be used as willing tools by do-or-die politicians who want to stir up trouble in their communities. Buratai gave the advice in his Message to Nigerian Youths, titled, “Dynamism in Politics and Nigeria’s Founding Fathers”, posted on his verified Facebook page on Friday. He challenged them to instead, embrace the tenets of political dynamism and root out every factor contributing to the democracy deficit in Nigeria, such as voter apathy, ballot snatching, looting, arson, and the likes. According to him, youths…
Amid reports of dwindling food supplies in embattled areas in Ukraine, the World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday began ramping up operations, warning that the conflict could have consequences beyond the country. Ukraine has long been the “breadbasket” of Europe, but the fighting could disrupt global wheat trade, with knock-on impacts on food prices and overall food security. “The bullets and bombs in Ukraine could take the global hunger crisis to levels beyond anything we’ve seen before,” WFP David Beasley said during a visit to one of its hubs on the Polish-Ukrainian border. The UN agency has been setting up…
UN’s senior political affairs official, Rosemary DiCarlo, on Friday told the UN Security Council that heavy fighting reported overnight at Ukraine’s largest nuclear power is both unacceptable and “highly irresponsible’’. DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, told the Security Council during an emergency meeting that radiation levels from nuclear plants are normal and the facility’s cooling system was not affected. According to her, every effort must be taken to prevent a catastrophic nuclear incident. She was joined by Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who offered to deploy rapidly to Ukraine to develop…
China will block coverage in its territory of this weekend’s English Premier League (EPL) fixtures as Britain’s biggest clubs continue to demonstrate support for Ukraine. The Premier League has expressed its intention to show solidarity with Ukraine in various ways across the 10-match programme. This will start with Leicester City’s home clash against Leeds United in Saturday’s early kick-off. Chinese rights holder iQIYI Sports had first reacted by refusing to show the matches. And although the Premier League has declined to comment, there are indications the blackout is due to go ahead. The move has been interpreted as a sign…
The European Union Delegation to Nigeria and German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), on Friday donated IT equipment to the ECOWAS Commission as technical support to ensure effective service delivery of the Commission’s staff. The EU and GIZ donated the equipment to the Commission in Abuja at the official launch of the EU-funded Institutional Support to ECOWAS (ISE) programme. The ISE programme is aimed at enhancing the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of the EU aid in West Africa. Mrs Cecile Tassin-Pelzer, Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, said that the programme was developed to train internal personnel who…
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has called for the inclusion of women traders in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Abebe Haile-Gabriel, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa, FAO, made the call in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja. Haile-Gabriel said women were crucial to Africa’s agricultural development as they had continued to play crucial role in agriculture in the region. He stated that women had contributed significantly to food production, processing and marketing, food security and nutrition, natural resources management and conservation of biodiversity even in the face of climate change. He stressed that in…
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it may suspend the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in July. Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu disclosed this while speaking with newsmen on the sideline of the ongoing two-day Editorial Capacity Building Workshop for INEC Public Affairs Officers in Lagos on Friday. Oyekanmi noted that the suspension might be attributed to the fact that most Nigerians are still waiting for the last minute rush before presenting themselves for the registration. He, however, said that the commission was impressed by those who…
Russian troops in southeastern Ukraine have seized Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Ukrainian officials said on Friday. The fire was started in fierce fighting for the plant but was later extinguished, a Ukrainian government agency said, and there was no immediate sign that radiation had leaked. Across Ukraine, Russian forces are laying siege to cities and trying to control vital ports. Also, surveillance camera footage showed a flare landing at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power complex near Enerhodar, Ukraine, during shelling early Friday. However, a fire that had raised worldwide alarms was extinguished. There had been worries that the fire could…