The Cross River State Government says it will distribute 30 million coffee seedlings to smallholder farmers to cultivate about 27,000 hectares under a seven-year coffee development strategy targeted for 2033. Mr Johnson Ebokpo, the state’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, made the remark at a press conference in Calabar on Tuesday. Ebokpo described the initiative as the state’s “coffee revolution,” saying it aims to diversify the state’s export base beyond cocoa and boost internally generated revenue through sustainable coffee production. He said the government approved the phased distribution of the 30 million seedlings, starting with five million, to support…
Author: Newsdesk
The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development (FMLD) has urged the Abia State Government to establish additional veterinary clinics to complement the existing federal clinic in the state. This is to ensure citizens are not served diseased meat. The Team Leader of the Tsetse Fly Surveillance and Control Project, Mr Gilbert Okoro, gave the advice on Monday after his team concluded a verification tour of the three senatorial districts to assess tsetse fly infestation. Okoro said intelligence gathered by his team on operations at the Lokpanta Cattle Market — the largest livestock trading hub in the southern region — prompted his…
The Inclusive Cancer Care Research Equity (i-CCARE) Consortium for Black Men has urged men aged 45 and above to undergo routine Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) testing. The consortium said regular screening remains vital for the early detection and successful treatment of prostate cancer, the leading cancer affecting men. Dr. Ayodeji Ogunmola, Team Leader and Principal Investigator of i-CCARE at the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH), Lokoja, made the appeal on Monday. He spoke during the sixth monthly Prostate Cancer Patients’ Support Group Meeting held at the hospital in Lokoja. Ogunmola, a consultant urologist, described early diagnosis as the most effective way…
The International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria) says Stanley Ugagbe, a reporter with Secret Reporters, an online news platform, has been released from police custody following its intervention. According to a statement signed by the institute’s Legal Adviser, Tobi Soniyi, in Abuja on Monday, Ugagbe was released to the President of IPI Nigeria, Musikilu Mojeed, at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Monday. “The Nigeria Committee of the IPI is pleased to announce that Stanley Ugagbe, a reporter with Secret Reporters, has been released from police custody following the Institute’s intervention. “Ugagbe was released to the President of IPI Nigeria, Musikilu Mojeed, at…
The 2023 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Sokoto State, Sa’idu Umar Ubandoma has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a development that could reshape the state’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections. Ubandoma was formally received into the APC by the party’s leader in the state, Sen. Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, at his residence in Asokoro, Abuja. A former Commissioner for Finance and Secretary to the Sokoto State Government during the administration of Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Ubandoma contested the 2023 governorship election on the platform of the PDP. Speaking on his decision to…
The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development (FMLD) has flagged off a tsetse fly surveillance exercise to combat infestation and control the vector in Akwa Ibom State. The State Coordinator of FMLD, Mrs. Ikankeabasi Ukpong, made this known when she hosted the vector surveillance and control team in Uyo on Monday. She said the team would engage in community sensitisation and create awareness in some markets to fight the hazardous impact of tsetse fly infestation on the state’s livestock industry. Ukpong said about 12 species of tsetse fly (genus Glossina) had been identified in Nigeria. According to her, Glossina is the…
The Lagos State Government says its emergency responders saved an estimated ₦118 billion in property and rescued more than 1,900 lives in 2025. It said it had intensified efforts to strengthen fire safety and emergency management. Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu disclosed this at the opening of the Lagos International Fire Safety Conference 3.0 held at the Marriott Hotel, Ikeja, on Monday. The conference had the theme: “Preventing the Preventable: Strengthening Fire Safety in Buildings and Business Hubs”. Sanwo-Olu was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat. He said the state added 11 new fire stations, inaugurated 62 modern firefighting vehicles, and…
The Czech Republic’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Tomáš Výprachtický, on Monday in Abuja, called for increased investment in young people to enhance their innovation and job creation skills. He made the appeal during the inauguration of a 3D printing training and capacity-building program organized for Nigerian participants. The program is part of a collaboration between the Czech-based company Prusa Technology and Nigerian non-profit Innov8 Hub, focusing on innovation and youth capacity building. The training, organized by the Czech Embassy in Nigeria, Innov8 Hub, and partners, will run from July to September, with a possible extension to October. It aims to…
A Veterinarian, Dr. Mutiu Oladele-Bukola, has said that dog vaccination remains the single most effective way to control rabies in Oyo State. Oladele-Bukola, from the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Moor Plantation, Ibadan, made this known in an interview with reporters in Ibadan on Monday. He spoke in commemoration of World Zoonoses Day, observed annually on July 6. According to him, zoonoses are diseases transmitted from animals to humans and vice versa, adding that rabies (from dogs and cats) remains the most important zoonotic disease associated with pets in Oyo State. He explained that…
The Transportation Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has intensified its clampdown on commercial vehicles operating in ad-hoc motor parks in Utako and Banex areas of the FCT. Mandate Secretary of the Secretariat, Mr. Chinedum Elechi, said during an enforcement operation in Abuja on Monday that all commercial vehicles must move to the designated Mabushi Bus and Taxi Terminal. Elechi, represented by Mr. Usman Abdulmumin, an engineer in the Secretariat, said the move would strengthen the fight against criminal activities associated with illegal public transport operations across Abuja. He explained that the operation was in line with the…