News

World Bank Scores Nigeria’s Agric Sector Low

Published

8 years ago

February 14, 2018

The World Bank Group yesterday in Abuja said there was a need for governments to strengthen laws that govern the agricultural sector in the country.
The Programme Manager at the World Bank, Mr Farbod Youssefi made the appeal at a workshop organised by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), in partnership with the World Bank Group.
The workshop was on the Enabling Business of Agriculture (EBA, 2017) report for Nigeria. According to him, Nigeria has weak laws and regulation in areas that deal with seeds production, marketing and transportation of agricultural products.
“There are other areas such as finance, fertilizer, machinery where the scores in Nigeria are actually higher than in other countries but still there are areas where planning improvement can be made.
“The presentation highlights those opportunities to improve regulation for agribusiness in Nigeria. “The EBA measures and monitors key elements of countries’ regulatory framework that affect agribusiness value chains.
“It identifies and analyzes legal barriers for the business of agriculture and quantifies transaction costs of dealing with government regulations, while at the same time providing indicators that can be used to benchmark the regulatory environment of different economies.
“The globally comparable data it presents can inform policy dialogue and reforms, which promote private sector investments in the agricultural sector,” Youssefi said. Dr Kehinde Makinde, Country Manager, AGRA, said that business needed an appropriate environment to flourish, adding that this was an opportunity to get feedback from stakeholders in case of lapses from the report.
“So what this report does is to go through different countries to see their business environment in terms of agricultural business value chain and the regular chain framework.
“We are talking about sectors like seed, fertilizer, machinery that have been indicated in this report. “We want to show how each country is performing on the benchmark against other countries.” Makinde said that there were 62 countries that were covered in the report which showcased how Nigeria was doing in relation to other countries.
“The essence is to provide information that policy actors like the private sector, policy makers and media can be used to be able to see what level Nigeria is and see what needs to be done to improve on these indicators.
“This is a world bank report on enabling business for agriculture for Nigeria. It is clear that to do this, they consulted with many partners.
“The quality of data you get depends on those people that provided the information.” Makinde said World Bank is a credible institution’ which had been in the business over time.
“People may have one or two reasons to disagree with this report but it doesn’t mean it applies to everywhere in the country. “They are looking for an average for the nation. In a particular state, they may have a different situation maybe a little higher than average or little below.
“But what is important is to see the general situation of things and look at the general situation that the report talked about. Makinde maintained that the report spoke about the country and not a particular area, adding, “if there are issues with the report, this is a platform to get feedback from stakeholders.
“We will look through this together then we inform future reports where we see there are errors. But I think in large measure, what we have seen here has been validated by others,” he said. On his part, Mr Waziri Ahmad, Commissioner for Agriculture, Adamawa, faulted the report on machinery. Ahmad stated that the report only considered the legal area without looking at the reality on ground. According to him, the record scored Nigeria high in machinery while the country barely has less than 30,000 functioning tractors for farmers. “With our population, we should have more tractors in the country.
Talking about 300,000 to 400,000 tractors but we have less than 30,000 functioning tractors in the country right now. “On the other hand, the EBA assessment score is very high but in reality it is not like that. So there is a disconnection in that aspect.
“We find ourselves in a situation where smallholder farmers are over 90 per cent of the farming populace and we will be with that for a long time,” he said. Ahmad said that officially, the Federal Government and most states had not taken cognizance that there should be two-track approach.
“That is mechanisation for large scale farmers and the other is for the smallholder farmers who are the large majority,” he added. He, however, urged those reviewing the draft before presenting the final report to look at the issue of mechanisation in order to improve productivity in the agricultural sector.
The World Bank Group report scored the country’s seed sector 48.85 per cent and markets 49.24 per cent. Others are transport 46.30 per cent, water 32.03 per cent, ICT 50.00 per cent, fertiliser 57.79 per cent, machinery 63.07 per cent and finance 57.21 per cent.
Youssefi welcomed observations from some stakeholders while and said the report was collated before June 2017. He assured that the transformations that had taken place in the agricultural sector from June 2017 till date would be captured in the 2018 report.

News

Be Patient With Us, Diri Tells Bayelsans … Inspects New 60mw IPP …Expresses Confidence In Technical Partners, BECL MD

Published

2 days ago

January 2, 2026

The Tide

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri has sued for patience on the ongoing installation of the state’s new independent power project.

The Tide gathered that the 60-megawatt gas turbine project, which installation commenced in October this year, was earlier scheduled to be completed by December but suffered logistics related delays.

The governor called on people of the state to have an open mind about the project, which he said now requires a new completion date due to unforeseen challenges.

?The Tide further reports that the State’s Chief Executive who undertook an on-the-spot-assessment of the project at Elebele in Ogbia Local Government Area on Wednesday, said like other citizens of the state, he was also disappointed that the December completion deadline could not be met.

However, he stated that his reaction to the delay had been that of understanding rather than being angry as had been noticed, particularly on the social media.

?”You can see I’ve gone round the whole facility. It was based on the working agreement and information available at my disposal that I gave the December date. But as it is with every human endeavor, we must all have an open mind, when it comes to issues, particularly technical matters like this.

?”I am as disappointed as any other Bayelsan because I believed that we were going to celebrate the 2025 Christmas with our own independent power, but it turned out not to be so.

?”I call on Bayelsans to have an open mind. These technical experts are working virtually 24 hours, but delays like this will certainly come”, he said.

He implored the people 9f the state to appreciate the work of the engineers, stressing that a minor mistake was capable of jeopardising the millions of dollars expended on the project.

?”For 29 years Bayelsa has been in darkness or has endured epileptic power supply. Now that we are getting close to the day of liberation, some people have become impatient.

“Let us not behave like the proverbial tortoise in the prison for years that asked to be released immediately as the place was smelling the moment he knew it would regain freedom the next day”, the governor added.

?The Bayelss Governor gave a thumps up to the technical partners, Jampur Group, and its team on ground as well as the Managing Director of the Bayelsa Electricity Company Ltd, Engr. Olice Kemenanabo, saying they were working round the clock to ensure the job was completed.

?”Those who have been following me on this inspection would know that work has not stopped even for one day since it started. I am sure the job is more than 90 per cent complete. So let us hold our fire.

“Engineer Olice, I am not putting you under any pressure. From the reports I have, Olice is one of the best electrical engineers in Nigeria”, governor Diri said.

The governor, however, hinted that the government was looking at inaugurating the project during its sixth anniversary in February.

The MD of the Bayelsa Electricity Company Limited, Kemenanabo, who also spoke, said the state was on the right track towards actualising the project and assured that the alignment of the entire system, including the gas generator and alternator were on course.

He also stated that the remaining two turbines would be delivered to the project site in a few days.

?Speaking on behalf of the Jampur Group, Mr. Sherrif Abu-Anif said the company was in good position to meet its own end of the bargain and appreciated the state government for playing its part very well.

By Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

News

Akpabio Withdraws All Defamation Suits After Priest’s Sermon

Published

2 days ago

January 2, 2026

The Tide

The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has directed his lawyers to withdraw all ongoing defamation lawsuits against several individuals, saying he was moved by counsel during a New Year Mass.

Speaking at the Sacred Heart Parish in Uyo, yesterday, Akpabio said he had filed nearly nine lawsuits against individuals he accused of defaming him.

He said, “I had almost nine cases in court against some individuals who defamed me, who lied against me, who slandered my name.

“But I listened to the priest and suddenly realised he was talking to me, so I hereby direct my solicitor to withdraw all lawsuits against them.”

In 2025, Akpabio had filed several high-profile defamation lawsuits, including one against colleague Senator Natasha Akpoti?Uduaghan.

In late 2025, Akpabio filed a N200 billion defamation lawsuit against her over allegations of sexual harassment, which he denied and urged her to substantiate in court.

Earlier in the year, Akpabio’s wife also filed defamation suits against Akpoti?Uduaghan over claims she said had harmed her family’s reputation.

Relations between the two lawmakers soured after Akpoti?Uduaghan accused Akpabio of influencing her suspension from the Senate in March 2025, following her public allegations of misconduct.

The Senator had previously challenged actions taken against her in court, including a N100 billion defamation suit she filed against Akpabio and other defendants over alleged remarks that she said damaged her reputation.

With yesterday’s announcement, Akpabio has formally ended all pending legal disputes arising from defamation claims, signalling closure to the publicised litigations as the year begins.

News

‘Best Way To Show Gratitude Is To Deliver Tinubu in 2027’

Published

2 days ago

January 2, 2026

The Tide

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared that the best form of gratitude Rivers people owe President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for protecting the interest of the State is to galvanize massive support for the President in 2027.

Fubara disclosed this last Monday during the commissioning of Permanent Secretaries Quarters built by his administration at Elimgbu in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of the State.

He said that the State has what it takes to deliver the President during the 2027 general elections.

“We’ve taken a decision,our decision is for the good of Rivers State, our decision is to say thank you for the protection we have from Mr President, our decision is to prove that we have what it takes to deliver Mr President.”

Fubara expressed delight over the completion of the project, stating that the initiative was to provide accommodation, a basic need of life for public servants in the state to improve their productivity.

He explained that lack of effective social welfare was at the root of some incriminating actions that undermine the purpose of governance, noting that the commissioning of the newly built Permanent Secretaries Quarters marks a significant milestone in civil service welfare and institutional development.

“Insecurity begins when individuals are uncertain of what the next hour holds. This situation is especially challenging for family men and women, affecting confidence and decision-making,” he observed.

Fubara emphasized the need for proper maintenance of the facility and urged the beneficiaries to protect the project like a personal property, while directing the State Head of Service to appoint a facility manager to ensure long-term maintenance.

In her remarks, the Special Guest of Honour and Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who unveiled the project, expressed appreciation to the governor and Rivers State for inviting her to commission the project.

She commended Fubara for prioritizing the welfare of Permanent Secretaries who are senior public servants and accounting officers, noting that the project reflects purposeful and visionary leadership, and urged other states to borrow a cue from the Rivers State Governor.

Walson-Jack described the initiative as a strategic investment in staff welfare and institutional continuity which she noted is in line with Renewed Hope Initiative on provision of mass housing and social stability.

“The commissioning of these houses reflect a deliberate commitment to the dignity, welfare, and productivity of senior public servants responsible for policy coordination and service delivery,” she said.

In his goodwill message, the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibode Bashiru, who led a high powered delegation on a visit to the governor, congratulated Rivers people for aligning with the Pan Nigerian political party, assuring that the interest of Rivers State will be duly protected in the APC.

He described President Bola Tinubu as a detribalised Nigerian who anchors his leadership on equity, fairness and justice, adding that the APC will provide a level playing ground for all.

The APC chief scribe also commended Fubara for providing good accommodation for public servants, stating that it will address issues of sabotage, compromise and disloyalty on the part of public servants.

Giving the project description, Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Works, Dr. Austin Ezekiel-Hart, said the estate comprises 29 units, including nine standalone duplexes and 20 terrace buildings.

Facilities feature a water treatment plant, synchronized power generators, CCTV and alarm systems, a gym, recreational areas, and green spaces—designed to enhance comfort, performance, and productivity.

Earlier, the Head of the Rivers State Civil Service, Dr Mrs Inyingi Brown, had thanked the governor for his visionary initiative and unwavering commitment to the welfare of Rivers State Civil Servants, and restated the commitment of the State civil servants to the success of Fubara’s administration.

By: Taneh Beemene