Niger Delta

Famers Blame Govt For Cassava Glut

Published

14 years ago

February 13, 2012

Farmers in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo, have attributed the current cassava glut in the area to the non-implementation of the government policy on the crop.

The Edo North Coordinator, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Alhaji Abdulahi Mohammed, made the claim on Thursday in Auchi in an interview withnewsmen.

He said that farmers not only welcomed the policy but also embarked on massive planting of cassava.

Mohammed added that the current cassava glut in the area had resulted to low pricing of the commodity, a development he said, had compelled some of them to abandon the cassava on their farms.

The AFAN coordinator accused the Federal Government of “driving people into taking risk only to abandon them when at their hour of need”.

Mohammed said that for the government to be taken seriously, it must ensure that agricultural policies were pursued to a logical conclusion.

Reacting to the farmers’ complaints of cassava glut, Dr Martin Fregene, the Team Leader, Cassava Initiative of the Agricultural Transformation Action Plan (ATAP), said that the Federal Government had plans to mop up excess cassava from farmers for processing and export.

Fregene, told newsmen in Abuja on Thursday that government had also set aside a special fund to mop up excess cassava.

He said that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development had worked out modalities with some commercial banks to give loans to selected exporters to mop up the glut.

Fregene said the loan would also facilitate market outlets for excess cassava produced across the country and provide the opportunity for Nigeria to fulfill the agreement with China to supply one million tonnes of chips annually.

According to him, government plans to mop up four million tonnes of cassava before June.

He said that in line with efforts to prevent cassava glut, the ministry recently signed an MoU on cassava development with the Ondo State Government to establish three ethanol plants that would convert waste products from the plant to animal feed.

The team leader said that the government would also upgrade 25 moribund cassava processing mills located in various parts of the country.

He said that more than six major flour millers across the country had agreed to use 40 per cent of cassava flour for baking bread, adding that the initiative, would in the short term create jobs for 1.2 million Nigerians.

In the long term of the initiative, government would invite 18 large-scale cassava processing companies from China to process over four million tonnes of cassava annually, Fregene said.

He further said that said small-and medium-scale and 40 large cassava processing plants across the country would be upgraded to produce high quality cassava flour with the support of Chinese experts.

Niger Delta

Stakeholders In Delta Seek Stronger GBV Action, Women’s Leadership

Published

13 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

Stakeholders in Delta State convened in Asaba for a leadership workshop organised by Otdel Health Heritage and Environmental Initiative (OHHEI), focusing on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and women’s participation in decision-making processes.

OHHEI Project Director, Mr. Peter Olayinka, represented by a consultant, Juliet Obiajulu, urged participants to contribute meaningfully toward advancing women’s leadership and combating GBV across communities in the state.

He said the workshop aimed to strengthen participants’ capacity to influence policies, challenge harmful cultural norms, and reinforce initiatives designed to prevent and respond to GBV.

Olayinka said women often faced bias even when they occupied leadership positions, and stressed that gender diversity improved the quality of decision-making and promoted innovation and accountability in governance structures.

Speaking, the Chairperson of the Association Against Child Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Mr Eris Jewo-Ibi, identified cultural norms, domestic responsibilities, political resistance, and grassroots barriers as constraints to women’s participation.

Delta State GBV Desk Officer, Mrs. Rosemary Okpuno, emphasised that effective decision-making required women’s perspectives, adding that inclusion remained critical to addressing persistent gender-based challenges.

Voke Angbagh of the Delta State Ministry of Justice outlined penalties for rape and called for the establishment of special courts to handle sexual offences cases.

Angbagh said frequent adjournments delayed justice for survivors, stressing that dedicated sexual offences courts would ensure timely trials and stronger protection for victims in Delta State.

The Tide’s source reports that facilitators identified cultural acceptance of violence, unequal power relations, discrimination, poverty, limited education, and low self-esteem as major drivers of GBV.

They emphasised that violence and exclusion resulted in social, physical and emotional harm, imposed economic costs, reinforced harmful stereotypes, and widened existing gender inequalities.

The source also reports that OHHEI, a local non-profit organisation, focuses on education, health, environment, and social justice, promoting sustainable development initiatives with gender equality at the centre of its interventions.

Niger Delta

C’River Suspends Taskforce Activities Over Drivers’ Protest

Published

13 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

The Cross River State Government has suspended all taskforce activities connected to commercial transportation and ticketing across the state.

The State Governor, Bassey Otu, announced the suspension at an emergency stakeholders meeting on Friday in Calabar.

It would be recalled that commercial drivers in Calabar metropolis took to streets on Thursday to protest alleged multiple taxation and extortion by government agencies.

During the protest, the drivers alleged that taskforce groups claiming to represent the state government openly harassed and extorted them.

Represented at the meeting by Ekpenyong Akiba, his Special Adviser on General Duties, Otu said the suspension would subsist pending further review of the situation.

The Governor stated that the state government did not commission anyone to extort drivers in the name of task force.

He urged commercial drivers and other road users to remain law-abiding while government worked out a lasting solution.

On his part, the Chairman, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Calabar Metropolis, Mr. Sunday Dennis, expressed optimism that the dialogue would yield positive results.

He said the meeting had provided an opportunity for the aggrieved commercial drivers to present their concerns directly to the state government.

Also speaking, the Chairman, Unified Drivers Association, Mr. Nta Henshaw, described the harassment on drivers as worrisome, and urged the state government to be decisive in resolving the matter.

Niger Delta

A’Ibom Assembly Urges More Private Investments In Agriculture

Published

13 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Committee on Nutrition and Food Security has called for more private sector investments in agriculture.

The Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Moses Essien, made the call when the committee visited Aviclaire Farms, a private establishment in Usung Idem, Uruk Usoh in Abak Local Government Area.

Essien, who represents Ibiono Ibom in the Assembly, commended the Management of the farm for partnering an NGO, ECEWS, to promote private investment in agriculture.

He commended the partners for adopting climate-smart agriculture initiatives in their operations, adding that such move would promote food security.

“Your interest in using transformative intervention to promote food security is a veritable way of complementing the efforts of the state government,” he said.

The lawmaker continued that adopting practical climate-smart agriculture model would help to generate employment, improve nutrition outcomes, and strengthen food sufficiency.

He further said he was impressed with the strides recorded by the partners, saying, “your investment has created jobs for no fewer than 2,000 youths.

”You are an example of an environment-friendly investor. I urge Akwa Ibom residents to embrace environment-friendly and technology-driven agriculture models,” he said.

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer, ECEWS, Dr. Andy Eyo, who conducted the committee round the farm, said the collaboration was conceived to demonstrate the viability of climate-smart farming in ensuring food sufficiency.

Eyo said the farm, which commenced operations with four greenhouses, had expanded to 14 within two years, and currently supplying high-quality produce to major markets in Uyo and neighbouring communities.

He said ECEWS was exploring cooperative frameworks to enable rural farmers and women’s groups to adopt greenhouse technology for sustainable livelihoods.

In her remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of Aviclaire Farms, Mrs. Victoria Eyo, said the controlled-environment ensured precision cultivation and consistent yields.

She further said the farm served as a capacity-building centre for students, interns, and agri-business trainees.