Business
Kogi:FG Distributes Fertiliser, Chemicals To 1,000 Cassava Farmers
The Federal Government
in collaboration with the Kogi State Government, on Thursday commenced the distribution of 6,000 bags of fertilizer and herbicides to 1,000 cassava farmers in the state.
The distribution, which was flagged-off in Lokoja, was also in partnership with the Kogi Cluster Farms Development Union (KCFDU).
Mr Zacchaeus Atteh, the Commissioner for Agriculture, who was represented by the Director, Agricultural Services, Mr Dennis Okwoli, hailed the initiative, saying it would boost cassava production in the country.
Atteh said the state government would continue to support any project that would promote the wellbeing of rural farmers and enhance food security.
“It is a significant development in the country’s quest to achieving food sufficiency and wealth creation for real rural farmers,” he said.
In his address, the President of KCFDU, Mr Alfred Okeme, who was represented by the spokesman of the union, Mr Aaron Matthew, also appreciated the initiative, saying it would boost cassava production.
Mathew said each of the 1,000 farmers would get six bags of assorted fertilizers and four litres of herbicides.
He disclosed that over 165 farmers had received a loan of N160,000 each to boost their production capacity, and urged others that were yet to receive, to be patient as the disbursement was in batches.
Mr Suleiman Funmilayo, one of the beneficiaries from Kabba praised the federal and state governments for the free fertilizer and herbicides, saying it was the first of its kind in the state.
“We have never experienced this kind of assistance before, where fertilizers are given free and directly to farmers without any intermediary.
“We promise to use the fertilizer and the herbicides for the intended purposes,” Funmilayo said.
Cornerstone of Financial Services
A survey of more than 1 000 global finance leaders undertaken by digital payment network Ripple shows that 72% of respondents believe they need to offer a digital asset solution to remain competitive.
According to Ripple, leaders from the banking, fintech, corporate and asset management sector have made it clear that the “digital asset revolution is happening now”.
“Digital assets are quickly becoming a cornerstone of financial services, underpinned by progressive regulation, growing interest from Tier-1 banks, a steady consumer shift from banks to fintech providers, and booming stablecoin adoption,” Ripple says.
The survey was conducted in early 2026 and the findings released in March.
Stablecoin Boon or Bane?
Ripple has experienced significant success in the stablecoin sector since launching its Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin in 2024.
With a market cap of $1.56 billion, it is considered a major regulated player in the market.
No doubt the platform was pleased to learn through its own survey that financial leaders were most bullish about stablecoins.
Roughly three-quarters of respondents believed they could boost cash-flow efficiency and unlock trapped working capital.
Ripple noted that finance leaders were thinking about stablecoins as more than “just a new way to execute payments”; instead, they viewed them as effective tools for treasury management.
In March 2026, Ripple began testing a new trade finance model built around RLUSD in a bid to increase the speed of cross-border payments.
The pilot initiative, developed alongside supply chain finance company Unloq [https://unloq.com], is running on the XRP Ledger inside a testing framework developed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
The Asian city-state is one of the platform’s biggest growth markets.
The idea behind the project is to see whether stablecoin-based settlement can streamline trade finance, too often hampered by reliance on intermediaries and slow reconciliation.
The only potential drawback is that if the initiative takes off, the Ripple to USD price could be negatively affected.
Ripple has always championed its native XRP token as a bridge asset, the “middleman” in the process of a financial institution turning dollars in the US into pounds in the UK, for example.
Ripple converts dollars into XRP and then back into pounds.
If RLUSD can do exactly the same thing, questions will be asked about XRP’s relevance.
That is a bridge Ripple will have to cross if it gets to that point.
Tokenisation Partners
Another interesting finding from Ripple’s survey is that most banks and asset managers are seeking tokenisation partners to help execute their strategies.
Some 89% of respondents said digital asset storage and custody were top priority. “Token servicing/lifecycle management also ranks highly for banks at 82%, while asset managers place greater emphasis on primary distribution at 80%,” Ripple found.
The survey also revealed that just more than half of fintechs and financial institutions want an infrastructure provider that can offer a “one-stop-shop solution”. This rose to 71% among corporate financial leaders.
Ripple attributes this to institutions and firms wanting uncomplicated, cohesive systems.
Infrastructure Rules
In its final analysis, Ripple says companies across the board are looking for partners and solutions that are “secure, compliant, battle-tested and that enable growth and execution”.
“The message is clear: infrastructure decisions made today will shape competitive positioning tomorrow.”
No surprise that this is precisely where Ripple is placing much of its focus.
