Business
Challenges Of ESI Women Drivers In Rivers
Transportation sector has been described as one of the lucrative business areas in both developed and developing countries of the world. Its activities span across land transportation which includes wheelbarrow, bicycle, truck, tricycle, motorcycle, motor vehicle and chariots.
Sea transportation covers canoe, flying boat and ocean-moving vessels classified as marine transport. While air transportation known to be the aviation sector deals with movement aircrafts.
The major objective of the transport industry is centred on the movement on human and materials from one destination to another, with a view of accelerating interaction, relationship and transactions between individuals, communities, states and countries.Transport business in the world has been largely dominated by the male sex, creating gender equality in the system.
And in a bid to bridge the gap posed by gender inequality, the wife of the Rivers State Governor, Her Excellency, Dame Judith Amaechi roled out her pet project known as Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI) aimed at empowering and encouraging women partake in the transportation business.
Besides, the project also tend to reduce poverty, improve their income base, create job and make them self reliant. No wonder Her Excellency insisted that women should drive the vehicles allotted to them, to ensure that the gender inequality gap is bridged, as well as proof to the world that women can compete men favourably.
Speaking with the beneficiaries of the scheme, the woman driver who gave her name as Patience, told The Tide that she found joy competing with men on the road as driver of her own car, noting that she make as much as N6,000 to N7,000 daily.
She said that, she programme her business time to suit the domestic affairs of her household so as to maintain a balance in the flow of income.
The woman driver lauded the initiator of the scheme Dame Judith Amaechi for empowering women in this magnitude of a saloon car other than the usual gas cooker, sowing machine, hair dryer etc experienced in the past administrations.
Another beneficiary of the transport scheme Mrs Ibiene Orupabo who ply Lagos bustop-Aggrey-Borokiri route told our correspondent that inspite of the fuel scarcity and like in the price of the product, she said that somedays the income margin stands at N10,000, while some other days between N8,000 and N9,000 depending on how serious. According to her, “I never knew that transport business is so lucrative and with my experience as a taxi driver, I intended to expand to full time transporter as soon as I pay the agreed sum (the cost price of the car).
We are in a capitalist world where competition and hardwork form the foundation of our survival, therefore, women should stand firm and contribute to the economic growth of our respective families and the state at large”, she asserted.
She said that Rivers State Government has done so much to rekindle the potentials in women through the wife of the Governor by wooing them into the driving profession which is worthy of emulation by other states.
Mrs Orupabo expressed her pleasure over the level of patronage accorded them on their route by the passengers, saying maybe it is because we are women drivers or that their cars are neat, new and air conditioned.
Speaking on the daily challenges facing the operation of the women drivers in the state, Mrs Janet Ihunwo noted with dismay the incessant harassment of the woman drivers by the traffic marshals, citing the recent assault meted out on a woman driver along Aba road by the staff of the Federal Road Safety Commission which she said the case is in the court.
She said that they are always envied by the male counterpart who dominated the sector, adding that sometimes they are quirked, abused and threatened. Also, “you have to meet your domestic obligations, take the children to school, bring them back, cook and maintain the domestic affairs of the family as well as go out for the days business”, she noted.
She urged government to increase the number of the beneficiaries this year and improve the road network to ease the flow of traffic within the Port Harcourt metropolis and its environs.
Business
NASS Engages Agric Minister On Food Crisis
The National Assembly through its joint committee on Agriculture Production Services and Rural Development has engaged the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari on an urgent solution to food inflation bedeviling the country.
The committee chaired by Senator Saliu Mustapha (APC Kwara Central), at an interface with the Minister, interrogated him on plans being put in place to arrest high cost of food prices in the country and make it affordable and available to the poor masses.
In his response, the Minister said the Federal Government has commenced distribution of 42,000 metric tonnes of grains to some focal points of state capitals nationwide.
“We have received directive and approval from Mr. President to distribute for immediate impact 42,000 metric tons of assorted grains free of charge to the Nigerian population.
“This was received in mid-February, as we are speaking, we have a record of the distribution being carried out, but I will want to plead with the honorable house and distinguished senators that some of the movements can’t be made public but a lot of states have started receiving their grains.
“We are distributing to state capitals in the first instance as you all are aware of the risk involved in the vandalism of foodstuff so we are working with the office of the national security adviser and other national security agencies.
“Furthermore, 58,500 metric tonnes of milled rice from mega rice millers will also be released into the market for stabilisation”, he said.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the interactive session, Senator Mustapha expressed satisfaction with the steps being taken by the federal government.
He said: “From our interactive session, we are on the other side of the parliament; we are fully in the picture of what is happening, we are convinced that the steps being taken by the federal government are in the right direction.
“All we did again is to further emphasise on the need for certain things to be done on time, I think from this collaborative approach by the grace of God, Nigerians will have a better feel of the government policy on food security”.
Business
Obj Harps On Cheap Credit, Policy Consistency For Food Production
Nigeria’s former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has called on the government to provide cheap credit and ensure policy consistency to enable farmers increase food production in the country.
The former President made the call as food inflation and nutrition security concerns grow in Africa’s most populous country.
Obasanjo’s made the call at the 9th Agrofood & Plastprintpack conference in Lagos recently, where he said farmers in the country were yearning for consistency in policy and single-digit interest loans to drive growth in the sector and attain food security.
“Policy sustainability and predictability is what farmers want. It helps them to plan. Availability of finance is also what farmers want. They cannot survive on the double digital interest rate”, Obasanjo, who is also a farmer, said at the conference.
According to him, food and nutrition security start with availability, then affordability by ensuring that everyone who needs food can get it.
He noted that food was one of the major imperatives in life, adding that “there cannot be food without agriculture and agribusiness”.
Obasanjo further stressed the importance of agriculture in changing the fortunes of the economy, with attendant exponential gains by way of earnings, employment, food security and other spin-offs.
He noted that agriculture must be made attractive to the country’s teeming youth population, saying this would address the rising unemployment, worsening insecurity and youth migration through the Mediterranean.
“We have to make agriculture attractive to the youths. We have to think within and outside the box to make it attractive to the youths so they are willing to get their hands dirty and feet wet”, he advised.
He continued that “Part of the security issue is owing to our inability to get them engaged. The need for agro-food and agribusiness is for food security, employment, wealth creation and income generation, particularly foreign exchange”.
Speaking also, Wouter Plom, the ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, said his country had faced challenges similar to those Nigeria confronts – feeding a growing population with limited resources.
He said as partners with a joint vision, the Netherlands and Nigeria recognise that the agricultural sector was one of the prominent drivers for economic growth.
He noted that the Netherlands has further strengthened its partnership with Nigeria to boost the agriculture sector in three main areas- economic growth, improved diets and youth employment.
The ambassador noted that all the challenges in driving growth through the sector, improving diets and tackling unemployment can be addressed when food production is efficient.
Paul Maerz, Managing Director of Fairtrade Messe, said with more investment in agro-food & plastprintpack solutions, products and technologies, brighter days were ahead for Nigeria’s agriculture.
Business
Abuja Farmers, Others Lose N12bn To Ginger Disease
The Federal Government, has confirmed the outbreak of ginger blight epidemic in four States in Nigeria, saying ginger farmers have lost over N12 billion due to the disease.
The government disclosed this at the inauguration of the National Ginger Blight Epidemic Control Taskforce in Abuja, revealing that the fungal disease had inflicted significant damage on ginger farms in Kaduna, Nassarawa Plateau and the Federal Capital Territory.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Abdullahi, said the blight had caused billions of naira in losses, impacting not only the livelihoods of farmers, but also Nigeria’s position as the world’s second-largest ginger producer.
“Our preliminary estimates suggested that affected farmers in southern Kaduna lost over N12bn.
“Furthermore, considering that over 85 per cent of Nigeria’s ginger cultivation occurs in this region, we can safely assume a substantial loss of cultivated land, potentially exceeding 70 per cent of total land”, he stated.
Abdullahi, however, stated that the Federal Government through the National Agricultural Development Fund would launch a N1.6bn recovery package for affected farmers in ginger-producing areas.
He said the ginger blight epidemic served as a stark reminder of the importance of preparedness in safeguarding agricultural resources, adding that by investing in research, extension services and farmer support systems, “we can build a more sustainable future for our agricultural sector”.
On his part, the Chairman of the task force committee, Abubakar Abdullahi, said there was no doubt that the blight on ginger had negatively affected the Gross Domestic Product earnings from this subsector.
“It is of necessity and great urgency that various subcommittees are put in place to forestall these negative effects”, he stated.
Abdullahi assured the minister of the commitment of the team to salvage the situation, as he pleaded with the minister to give the committee the power to co-opt members that would add value to the task force to discharge their duties efficiently and effectively.
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