City Crime

Songhai Farms: Boosting Integrated Farming

Published

10 years ago

June 26, 2015

Senator Abdul-Aziz Nyako of Adamawa Central Senatorial District (left), distributing improved maize seedlings to farmers in Yola, recently. Photo: NAN

Have you ever found
a place where nothing is considered a waste, where man, animals, plants, and where all that nature has got to offer are harnessed; each relying on the other without friction?
Finding such a place seems impossible but it exists in Songhai Farms in Porto-Novo, Republic of Benin.
Tourists note that in the farm, everything is re-generated. Leaves, stems and roots are used to produce animal feeds, soil mulch and compost manure while aquatic plants, such as water hyacinth, are used to generate gas and purify water.
Animal wastes such as droppings, horns, bones, intestines, feathers are equally used for biogas production and compost manure while rain water is harvested for aqua-culture, irrigation and human needs.
In the farm, tourists observe that one becomes so in tune with nature because all food items are organic (natural) without additives or any form of chemicals.
Songhai Centre, a 200-acre land that has become an international non-governmental development organisation, was founded in 1985 by a Nigerian-born American Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Godfrey Nzamujo.
It has become a destination for agro-tourists from around the world. It is named after a prosperous and powerful empire that was very strong in West Africa between the 14th and 16th centuries.
“Songhai for us is not that empire but the spirit of a people that can carry themselves and know how to make a good reading of their environment and discover the opportunities therein.
“And again, how to convert these into common wealth, rather than individual wealth, which most leaders in Africa are infamously known for today,’’ Lazarus Dourossimi, a tour guide at the centre said.
Apart from citing its regional base in Porto-Novo, the centre has three other farms in Savalou, Parakou and Kinwedji, all in Republic of Benin.
The Porto-Novo centre has pens for chicken, grass-cutters/rabbits, turkey, guinea fowls and quails while the snails and others are kept in neat houses.
The maggot uses the intestines of slaughtered animals and dung to produce relatively big ones that are used in feeding fish.
The farm, a mini-town on its own, has metal workshops, pottery workshops and an industrial zone for the production of bio-energy, liquid and bar soaps, plastics, fruit juice, fish mill and a slaughter house.
It also has administrative blocks, communication buildings, multi-purpose halls, staff and student quarters, feed mill, rice mill, compost production, swimming-pool, chapel, meeting and conference rooms.
It has variety of hotels and restaurants where various natural cuisines are prepared and served to visitors as well as a supermarket where only organically-grown produce and finished products from the farm are sold.
“I want to be a part of Africa saying no to this logic of poverty. When I see brothers and sisters, I am really grateful that we are not giving up. We want to give our children something different.
“In Nigeria, we are being trained to face the problems of yesterday. We are doing our training in agriculture of yesterday.
“We are not seeing the challenges of today and preparing ourselves for the challenges of tomorrow which are very simple.
“It is a challenge of employment for all, particularly young men and women. It is to remove poverty in terms of what we eat, food security and the way we live,’’ Nzamujo told a group of Nigerian agro-tourists who visited the centre recently.
Tourists observe that the farm transforms all its agricultural products, using simple and natural processes and effective technologies that are easily accessible.
They note for instance that palm-nuts are processed into palm oil and palm kernel oil that can be used for various purposes.
“We want to develop the idea that we can really develop in a very sustainable manner if we respect our environment. The environment, therefore, is going to improve our productivity.
“To further magnify what we are doing and in order for us to really get everybody on board, we are developing low-input agricultural production. Most of the production inputs are within the reach of practically everybody here,’’ Nzamujo said.
“The plant is what nature has given us, it takes carbon-dioxide from the air, chemical substances from the soil and some energy to grow fruits, leaves, stem and roots.
The animals consume parts of the plant that man has no use for, like corn stalk, to feed grasscutters.
“Since Songhai is a resource centre, we discovered that out of primary production, we can process our goods into finished goods; hence we need machine and energy.
“For energy to run those machines, we use solar and covert our all categories of waste to methane gas to power our generators and machines.
“We want to train young people so that they can provide jobs for themselves first and then the entire world.
“The second aspect is giving technology to farmers and people to enhance their productive capacity, ‘’ Dourossimi explained.
According to him, the Songhai model of green rural cities has extended to other countries including Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Congo Brazzaville.
Statistics shows that Songhai has farms in Cross River, Lagos, Katsina State, Rivers and Enugu State while the project is also being replicated for private individuals in Ebonyi.
In spite of these initiatives, Nzamujo said Nigeria had yet to take full advantage of its vast agricultural potential to transform its fortunes.
“Nigeria, rich as it is and with all the blessings from God, imports food. It is even importing fuel into a country that produces crude oil.
“But we can produce food and send it to all of West Africa but we are doing the opposite. So, we’ve lost it. What we are doing at Songhai Farms is to show that Africans can do it,’’ he said.
Nzamujo said his experience with some states in Nigeria had been worrisome because of the attitudes of the government nominees.
“Something that costs 20 dollars, they want us to quote 40 dollars. We built our Port Novo centre for just a third of what they wanted us to quote in one state,’’ he alleged.
He said that Songhai Farms employed more than 2,500 people from different countries, noting that it recently sponsored 185 candidates to undergo psycho-technical test, written test and endurance test.
“My dream is that when you come to Songhai Farms, you marvel and say Africa is working,’’ Nzamujo said.
A Nigerian agro-tour operator, Mrs Olufunke Taiwo, said: “We want to inspire our farmers to form the habit of cultivating big and sustainable farms as against small ones.
“Running small-scale farms is no longer in vogue, the business of agriculture has grown beyond that.
“We are looking at people to build sustainable farms and these must not necessarily have to be the government but individual farmers that could build big farms to provide employments and grow the wealth of Nigeria.’’
Pedro is of News Agency of Nigeria.

Iyiola Pedro

City Crime

NEMA warns against scooping of fuel from accidented tankers

Published

2 weeks ago

June 12, 2025

The Tide

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has warned against the practice of scooping fuel from accidented tankers, noting it has led to the loss of many lives and property.

The agency’s Head of Operations in Ibadan, Mr Kadiri Olanrewaju, cautioned during a sensitisation programme on tanker fire accidents, held on Wednesday at Akinyele Local Government Area (LGA) of Ibadan.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme was held in collaboration with the Oyo State Emergency Management Agency (OYSEMA) in Akinyele LGA and other stakeholders.

Olanrewaju said Akinyele LGA was selected for the awareness campaign because of its strategic location as a trailer route from the northern to the southern part of the country.

“These agencies felt that it was necessary to bring this important message to critical stakeholders in communities under the Akinyele LGA, where we have major trailer parks.

“The campaign kick-started in Ogun; we will soon move to Osun.

“The focus is to drive strong sensitisation against the scooping of fuel at the grassroots level, especially for local governments along the trailer routes to reduce needless loss of lives and property,” he said.

He charged the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other relevant agencies to enforce the laws against underage driving and ensure the proper certification and retraining of drivers.

The Administrative Secretary of OYSEMA, Mrs Ojuolape Busari, said that Community Development Associations (CDAs) were involved in the campaign to reach a larger number of people.

Busari noted that people still scoop fuel from accidented tankers because there had not been any serious punishment attached to the offence.

She, therefore, called for stiff penalties for anyone caught perpetrating the act.

“Apart from the risk of fire outbreak that may occur during the practice, it is stealing, which is a serious offence,” she said.

Earlier, the Executive Chairman of Akinyele LGA, Hon. Akinwole Akinyele, suggested that fuel transportation should be handled through the rail system, while leaving tankers for intra-city fuel transportation.

The chairman called for an urgent review of laws and policies related to fire services and road safety to meet the urgent and modern demands.

He said that the implementation of stricter fuel transportation regulations, vehicle maintenance, drivers’ training and retraining, and safer fuel handling practices remained crucial to the fuel distribution system in Nigeria.

“The attendant costs of tanker fire accidents have been huge, both in terms of the high number of fatalities and the loss or destruction of property, environmental damage, and public infrastructure,” he said.

NAN reports that the event featured technical sessions, lectures, and presentations from the FRSC, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Fire Service, traditional and market leaders, among others.

City Crime

Democracy Day: Tinubu Addresses Joint N’Assembly Today

Published

2 weeks ago

June 12, 2025

The Tide

…To Confer National Honours On Select Lawmakers

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will deliver a presidential address before a joint session of the National Assembly today as part of events marking Nigeria’s Democracy Day celebration.

The event is scheduled to be held in the House of Representatives chamber of the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

This was confirmed in a statement released on Sunday by the spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Hon. Akin Rotimi.

The statement referenced an internal memorandum issued by the Clerk of the House, Yahaya Danzaria, officially notifying lawmakers of the proceedings.

According to the memorandum, the special joint sitting will begin at 11:00 a.m. with preliminary activities before the arrival of President Tinubu, who is expected at noon.

Democracy Day is observed annually on June 12 in remembrance of the 1993 presidential election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s most credible poll since independence.

The election was won by Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola but was annulled by the military government led by General Ibrahim Babangida (retd).

The theme for the 2025 celebration is “26 Years of Democracy: Renewing Our Commitment to National Development.”

President Tinubu is attending the event as the Special Guest of Honour and is expected to use the platform to reflect on the state of Nigeria’s democracy and present his administration’s vision for the future.

The session will also feature goodwill messages from former presiding officers of the National Assembly.

Meanwhile, the President will confer national honours on select legislators in what organisers describe as part of efforts to recognise contributions to democratic governance.

The National Assembly views the event as an important marker of Nigeria’s political evolution.“This joint sitting represents a significant moment in Nigeria’s democratic journey,” the statement read.

“It underscores the pivotal role of the National Assembly in safeguarding democratic values, fostering accountability, and advancing national development over the past 26 years of uninterrupted civil rule.”

Lawmakers also used the occasion to urge Nigerians to reflect on the country’s democratic progress and to renew their commitment to national unity and inclusive governance.

“The House of Representatives calls on all Nigerians to embrace the spirit of Democracy Day as a time for reflection, renewed patriotism, and commitment to building a more inclusive, prosperous, and united nation,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has declared today as a public holiday, to commemorate this year’s Democracy Day celebration held every June 12.

June 12 was officially designated as Nigeria’s Democracy Day in 2018, to honour the annulled 1993 presidential election, widely considered the freest and fairest in the nation’s history and won by Chief MKO Abiola.

In a statement announcing the holiday, the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on behalf of the Federal Government, congratulated citizens on the occasion of 26 years of uninterrupted democratic rule in the country.

“June 12 represents our historic journey to building a nation where truth and justice reign, and peace is sustained and our future assured,” Tunji-Ojo stated.

City Crime

Rivers Women Celebrate Fubara’s Second Year Anniversary With Thanksgiving

Published

4 weeks ago

June 2, 2025

The Tide

Rivers women, under the aegis of Rivers Women Unite for SIM, have celebrated the second year anniversary of the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, with praise and thanksgiving.
The women, who gathered at the Ecumenical Centre, Port Harcourt, last Thursday, said that no matter the prevailing circumstances in the State, Fubara has shown great capacity in leadership and deserves to be celebrated.
They emphasised that their gathering was to thank God for what He has done through Fubara and the expected restoration and peace within the State.
They commended Rivers people and all Nigerians who have been standing by the Governor and Rivers people all through these trying times, saying it is now time for peace, reconciliation and restoration.
Speaking on behalf of the women, Dr. Queen Idanyingi Karibi Botoye, said the women have been consistently praying for the State and its leaders.
She urged the leaders of the State to put their differences behind and think about the people first and come together to advance the interest of the State.
The women assured that their prayers will continue until God restores the glory of the State and ensures greater harmony amongst its leaders and people.