The Ebonyi State Emergency Management Agency (EBS-EMA) says no life was lost in Tuesday’s flood disaster at Akaeze Community, Ivo Local Government Area of the state. The Executive Director of the agency, Mr Clement Ovuoba, confirmed this in an interview with reporters in Abakaliki on Friday. Ovuoba said the agency had commenced an assessment of the impact of the disaster and was considering evacuating the affected residents. “We have visited the area affected by the flood at Akaeze to ascertain the level of impact. “Yes, I can confirm that no life was lost in the incident,” he said. Ovuoba said…
Author: Newsdesk
Stakeholders have pledged sustained support for smallholder women farmers to improve agricultural productivity, income and food security. The stakeholders are the National Assembly (NASS), the International Budget Partnership (IBP) and ActionAid Nigeria. They made the commitment at the ongoing Small-scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON) campaign on “Accelerating Women Farmers’ Impact Towards Food Security” in Abuja on Thursday. The event also featured the launch of the SWOFON-IBP Spark Programme Policy Brief, “Women Farmers’ Voice to Action”. Dr. Yinka Babalola, Country Director of IBP, said the organisation remained committed to data, accountability and women farmers who work to feed the…
The Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has showcased new Tela maize varieties to farmers in Kano State. The varieties were presented on Thursday during a “Greenfield Day” organised for farmers in Karaye Local Government Area. IAR Executive Director Prof. Ado Yusuf said the new maize hybrids possess high-yielding, drought-tolerant and insect-resistant qualities capable of improving farmers’ grain yields. Yusuf, represented by Principal Investigator Prof. Rabiu Adamu, noted that the new varieties were being tested in farmers’ fields for the first time in Nigeria. He explained that the hybrids had undergone more than four years of…
Anambra-based women agriculture interest group, the Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), has raised concerns over the decline in the state’s agriculture budget, saying it threatens sustainable support for smallholder farmers. SWOFON noted that Anambra’s agricultural allocation fell from 2.03 per cent in 2021 to 0.59 per cent in 2025. Mrs Rosemary Onwuegbuka, SWOFON Coordinator in Anambra East LGA, disclosed this at a news conference in Awka. The conference was held to present the “Voice to Action” policy brief and findings from the IBP-SWOFON Impact Assessment covering 2019 to 2025. Onwuegbuka said: “According to the assessment, Anambra approved N10.97…
The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kaduna State Chapter, has debunked concerns surrounding TELA Maize, saying the variety has reduced production losses and improved farmers’ earnings. The AFAN Chairman in Kaduna, Nuhu Aminu, disclosed this on the sidelines of a field day organised by the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, on Thursday. The event was organised in collaboration with Bayer-Monsanto Seed Solutions (BMSS) and the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) at Tashar Dundu, Giwa Local Government Area, Kaduna State. The event, themed “Eating is Believing,” featured public tasting of various foods prepared from TELA…
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has called on small-scale business owners to adopt climate-smart agriculture and green innovation to boost sustainable economic growth. The Manager of SMEDAN’s Kaduna office, Badamasi Barau, made the call on Thursday in Kaduna during a monthly Climate Hangout organised by the climate change and environmental desk of the Interfaith Mediation Center (IMC). Other partners included the African Climate Reporters (ACR) and the office of the Special Assistant to the Kaduna State Governor on Climate Change. The theme of the hangout was “Empowering Entrepreneurs and SMEs Through Climate-Smart Agriculture, Green Innovation,…
Nigeria has called on multilateral institutions, development partners, philanthropies, researchers and the private sector to align efforts toward tackling Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) globally. Dr Iziaq Salako, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, made the call at the inauguration of OneSCD on the sidelines of the ongoing 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York. OneSCD is a global partnership to advance equity and transform SCD care. Salako urged stakeholders to invest in country-owned systems and help move proven SCD interventions from pilot programmes to national scale. He said the call was important because the global response…
The Country Manager of Zoho Nigeria, Mr Kehinde Ogundare, has urged Nigerian businesses to prioritise data security, privacy, access control and business continuity in their technology decisions. Ogundare made the call during a fireside chat on data sovereignty and enterprise technology at the GrowthX by TechEconomy conference on Thursday in Lagos. He said the call had become necessary as Nigeria moves towards stronger data localisation and sovereignty requirements. According to him, data sovereignty should not be viewed by businesses merely as a regulatory requirement or a question of where data is physically hosted. “It should also encompass who controls the…
Dr Segun Obayendo, Technical Adviser to the Vice President on Transportation, Logistics and Innovation, has said Nigeria must unlock its economic potential by fixing structural gaps in the sector. Obayendo made the call while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Transport Industry Summit, organised by the Transport Correspondents Association of Nigeria (TCAN) on Thursday in Lagos. He identified delays, fragmented transport modes, multiple checkpoints, insecurity, poor coordination and informality as key weaknesses that significantly increase the cost of doing business. According to him, Nigeria should learn from Singapore, Germany and China, where integrated transportation systems, technology and infrastructure support…
The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed 733 pharmacies, patent medicine stores and illegal outlets in Delta State. The PCN Head of Department, Enforcement, Mr Suleiman Chiroma, disclosed this while briefing newsmen in Asaba on Thursday. Chiroma said the sealing was part of the council’s mandate to implement a structured and phased enforcement exercise aimed at sanitising the drug distribution system in Nigeria. “The Registrar, Ibrahim Ahmed, has directed the sustenance of continuous and sustainable enforcement exercises across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. In line with this directive, several states have already been…