The Federal Government says Nigeria requires no fewer than 25 million tonnes of maize annually to meet national demand and strengthen food security. The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi (also referred to as Sen. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi in official contexts), disclosed this on Friday in Abuja during a Quarterly Citizens and Stakeholders’ Engagement meeting. Abdullahi said the government had intensified efforts to meet this demand by boosting local production and reducing dependence on food imports. “Our focus is on expanding local production so affordable and nutritious food becomes accessible to every Nigerian,” he said.…
Author: Newsdesk
The Kano State Government says it is exploring partnerships with international agricultural research organizations to boost crop productivity and modernize farming practices in the state. The Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Danjuma Mahmoud, disclosed this while briefing newsmen in Kano on Friday after attending the Paris International Agricultural Show in France. He said the global agricultural exhibition, held from February 21 to March 1, brought together more than 2,000 companies and covered major aspects of agriculture, including crop protection, mechanization, livestock production, seed development and modern farming technologies. According to him, the state government held meetings with international research institutions such…
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, has reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring improved healthcare delivery in the country. Pate made this known during the investiture of the 24th President of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) on Friday in Lagos. He was represented at the event by Dr. Abisola Adegoke, Director of Hospital Services in the Ministry of Health. Prof. Anthony Ikefuna assumed office as the 24th President of the college. “I believe that we all know that the ministry is not sleeping. The ministry is not folding its hands.…
The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) has decried the low performance of waste evacuation and cleaning contractors engaged by the Federal Capital Territory Administration to keep Abuja clean. The Director, Mrs. Kate Ogbonna, gave the assessment during an interactive session with the contractors in Abuja on Friday. Ogbonna said she was overwhelmed by unsavoury reports from supervisors monitoring the daily performance of the cleaning and waste contractors. According to her, routine checks by the Board have shown that the contractors are lagging in their tasks. “The reports at my disposal from our supervisors, who monitor the performance of the contractors,…
Continued engagement with Nigeria’s National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and other state institutions is beginning to expand access to cancer care, says Maturin Tchoumi, a Senior Roche Executive. However, he noted that late diagnosis and low breast cancer awareness are still costing lives. Tchoumi, who leads Roche’s pharmaceutical business in Africa, spoke to reporters on Friday on the sidelines of the Africa Press Day 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya, under the theme “Health is Wealth”. He noted that closer collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and NHIA was already translating into more women receiving breast cancer treatment…
An NGO, Bridge That Gap Hope for Africa Initiative (BTG), has distributed energy-efficient cookstoves to women in climate-impacted areas of Kaduna State to promote clean energy use and climate resilience. The intervention covered communities in Chikun, Zaria, and Zangon Kataf Local Government Areas as part of activities marking the 2026 International Women’s Day. The initiative was implemented under the Women Empowerment and Climate Resilient Initiative (WECRI), supported by the Partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement (PACE) programme. Gloria Bulus, BTG Executive Director, said in a statement on Friday that the project seeks to address desertification, promote energy-efficient technologies, and…
Dr. Robert Ngwu, Special Adviser to former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr. Uche Nnaji, has clarified reports claiming that a Federal Government panel confirmed certificate forgery against the ex-minister. Ngwu made the clarification in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja. He said the investigative panel was not constituted to determine whether Nnaji forged a certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). He explained that the panel was set up following a petition Nnaji submitted to the Federal Ministry of Education over alleged misconduct by some university officials. Ngwu said reports in some quarters suggested the panel…
President Bola Tinubu on Friday inaugurated an 11-member committee to oversee the incorporation of the Grid Asset Management Company Limited (GAMCO). The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. The move follows the Federal Executive Council’s approval of GAMCO and is expected to address longstanding challenges in Nigeria’s power sector, including stranded generation, transmission bottlenecks, and grid management inefficiencies. According to the statement, the committee has been tasked with ensuring the smooth establishment of GAMCO, which the government plans to deploy as a vehicle for optimising electricity generation and transmission. The Chief of…
The Federal Government has approved a N250 billion facility for the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) to support smallholder farmers across Nigeria, offering them access to credit at a single-digit interest rate. The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, disclosed this during the Quarterly Citizens and Stakeholders Engagement Session in Abuja on Friday. Kyari emphasized that the initiative was part of the government’s broader efforts to strengthen agricultural insurance, finance facilities, and leverage key institutions like the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), the National Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), and the Bank of Agriculture (BOA). Kyari explained that the Nigerian Agricultural…
…as women sensitization berths in Nsit Ubium Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has urged the women of Nsit Ubium Local Government Area, and others across the state, to rise up and take advantage of the cooperative initiative introduced by his administration to enhance their personal development and economic empowerment. Speaking at the grand finale of women sensitization tour on civic responsibilities held at the Local Government Headquarters grounds, the Governor said the State government will inject N20 million into cooperative societies in each of the 369 wards of the State, and urged women to take active part in the…