Connect with us

Business

Agro Producers Want Ban On Food Imports

Published

14 years ago

on

The Association of Small Scale Agro-Producers in Nigeria (ASSAPIN), has called on the Federal Government to put in place measures that would discourage food importation.

The National Vice-President of the association, Mr Joshua Mabinuori, made the call in an interview with newsmen yesterday in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

“It is important for Nigeria to feed herself. It is not negotiable. I think it is important that we put in place measures that would prevent food importation into this country.’’

Mabinuori said it was regrettable that government spent billions of naira to import food on a yearly basis, describing the expenditure as a colossal waste.

He added that the money could have been used to fund development projects in the agriculture sector.

Mabinuori averred that the country was blessed with abundant natural resources to boost food production and that government could launch the country on the path of greatness if it could give agriculture the attention it deserved.

“We have the climatic advantages, adequate rainfall, solar radiation; our soil is quite sustainable. How to coordinate these factors to bring out food security is the major problem in the country.

“If half of what government is spending on importation can be invested into agriculture, the result will be massive. It is unfortunate that government is not looking in that direction.

“As a matter of fact, there is food insecurity in the country. We don’t have enough food in the country and the best way to urgently address this problem is for government at all levels, to give priority to agriculture.

“Once government fails in agriculture, there is no how other sectors can survive because agriculture is the first contact with nature.”

The ASSAPIN boss, however, noted that one of the ways by which government could discourage food import was to encourage indigenous production of food through price subsidy for farmers.

“Government should buy this locally produced food from farmers at reasonable prices and push it to the market at a lower price.

“By doing this, people will be encouraged to buy and farmers will be able to sustain the business of food production and by extension, guarantee food security.”

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Business

Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

Published

1 hour ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

Continue Reading

Business

NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

Published

1 hour ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
Continue Reading

Business

FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

Published

1 hour ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
Continue Reading

Trending