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Expert Urges FG To Stimulate Agric Revolution …Via Green Alternative Policy Implementation

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9 years ago

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An agriculturalist, Dr Tunde Arosanyin, has  urged the Federal Government to stimulate agricultural revolution in the country via the diligent implementation of its Green Alternative Policy.
Arosanyin, who is the National Coordinator, Zero Hunger Commodities, told newsmen  in Ilorin that the agricultural revolution was needed to engender Nigeria’s food security and economic development.
“What government needs to do is to simply see to what I term as `agricultural revolution of Nigeria’, a panacea to the challenges facing the country’s food security and economic development efforts.
“I did a fantastic write-up on this and sent it to Mr President, the Minister for Agriculture and the Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture.
“The package is holistic and what we are saying in that document is that we should identify, under the first phase, 500 farmers in each of the 774 local government areas of the country and support them with inputs for one hectare.
”Looking at the map of Nigeria, we have ecological crop distribution.
“We know the area of crops where Katsina State will do well; we know where Ebonyi will do well, where Kwara and Kogi will do well, and we proposed in the document that we should identify at least two to three commodities per state.
“If the farmers are cultivating one arable crop, the government should then encourage them to go into the cultivation of one cash crop as well,” he said.
Arosanyin stressed that agriculture had contributed significantly to the growth of the national economy in spite of the non-commitment of successive administrations towards the development of the agricultural sector.
“Agriculture, even as we are still practising it, is still the only aspect of the national economy that has recorded a 3.2 per cent growth.
“The other areas are still trailing and it, therefore, points to the fact that agriculture is still a veritable means which can be used to take Nigeria out of economic recession.
”With the acute hunger in the land, government will have to look at the document holistically and see how we can adopt some of the salient recommendations therein.
“I believe that the document is good enough to take us out of the economic recession and food crisis,” he added.
Besides, Arosanyin criticised the government for its low budgetary provision for agriculture, which had negated the Maputo Declaration that called on African countries to devote at least 10 per cent of their annual budgets to agriculture.
“In the 2016 budget, it was just about three per cent for agriculture. This one (the 2017 Budget) is also within that range; it is less than five per cent.
“I strongly believe that if we adhere to the Maputo Declaration and earmark at least 10 per cent of our annual budget to agriculture; we would have a robust development in the agricultural sector.
“I believe the budgetary provision is still very low, particularly if we must use agriculture to drive this economy, we have to appropriate much more funds to agriculture than what we are presently doing,’’ he added.
On Zero Hunger Commodities Programme, the national coordinator said that the programme worked with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, its Chairman, to prepare the working document.
He said that Zero Hunger Commodities was a United Nations (UN) programme, initiated under

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Boat Mishap Kills Pastor, Wife And Church Members  In Brass Water

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6 days ago

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May 18, 2026

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A boat accident in Bayelsa state has killed a serving Pastor, Wife and other church members along Brass waterways
The sad incident happened at Odioama in Brass local government area of Bayelsa State when the Pastor, wife and  members of his church were in a programme.
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?Tide confirmed that the lifeless body of the Pastor’s wife has been found and deposited in a mortuary while the remains of her husband ,the Pastor is yet  to be recovered
as search party are still ongoing.
Although the real cause of the boat Mishap is not yet known as at the time of this report,  our Correspondent gathered  that the identities of the Pastor, wife and church members were not disclosed to the public.
The mishap, Tide gathered occurred on Friday morning when the church members were on a boat transit
The Bayelsa State government and the state police command are yet to issue official statement’s  on the sad accident
By: CHINEDU WOSU
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Rivers Workers Seek Scrapping Of Contributory Pension Scheme

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6 days ago

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May 18, 2026

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The Rivers State Council of  Nigeria Civil Service Union has called on the State Government to urgently scrap the contributory pension scheme, describing it as unfavourable to long-serving civil servants in the state.
Chairman of the union, Chukwuka Osuma, said this in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt,  recently.
Osuma said the current pension structure has continued to worsen post-retirement hardship for workers.
He noted that  the contributory pension scheme had failed to provide adequate retirement security for workers who had spent many years in service, especially those approaching retirement age.
According to him, civil servants who had served for more than 20 years were among the worst affected under the scheme, insisting that many retirees could no longer cope with prevailing economic realities.
He also  informed that the Union has made moves to showcase their concerns, pleading with Governor Siminalayi Fubara to abolish the pension policy and introduce a more favourable arrangement for affected workers.
“The union was not opposed to pension reforms, the contributory scheme should only apply to newly employed workers or those with fewer years in service”, he said.
Osuma explained that workers who had already spent decades in the civil service ought to remain under a more secure pension structure capable of guaranteeing stability after retirement.
The labour leader further noted that inflation and the rising cost of living had continued to erode the value of retirement savings, thereby increasing the suffering of pensioners across the country.
He also appealed to the state government to consider extending the years of service in the civil service from 35 to 40 years and the retirement age from 60 to 65 years.
Osuma argued that such adjustment had become necessary in view of present-day economic realities and changing conditions in the workplace.
The unionist also reviewed that similar policies had already been adopted in some sectors and jurisdictions, expressing optimism that the State could also implement the reforms for the benefit of workers.
He however, commended Governor Fubara for approving an N85,000 minimum wage for workers in the state, noting that the amount was above the national benchmark of N70,000.
Osuma also acknowledged the government’s efforts in the area of workers’ promotions and bonuses, but insisted that pension reforms and extension of years of service remained critical to the long-term welfare and stability of civil servants in Rivers State.
By: King Onunwor
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FG Begins South-West Tour To Promote New Cooperative Bank

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2 weeks ago

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May 13, 2026

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The Federal Government has launched the South-West zonal engagement and ministerial advocacy tour on the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria share capital mobilisation, sensitisation and cooperative sector digitalisation.
 Reports say the initiative was launched through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
According to reports, the advocacy tour, organised by the ministry’s Federal Department of Cooperatives, began on Monday in Lagos.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, said the initiative was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Abdullahi described the exercise as a strategic effort to reposition the cooperative sector as a key driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity.
“Today represents a defining moment in our collective determination to reposition the cooperative sector as a major driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity,” he said.
The minister noted  the modern cooperative movement in Nigeria originated in the South-West following the 1934 Strickland Report, which led to the enactment of the Cooperative Societies Ordinance of 1935.
According to him, the decision to commence the sensitisation and share capital mobilisation tour in the region is symbolic, as it marks a return to the roots of cooperative development in the country.
Abdullahi said the advocacy tour was a direct outcome of resolutions reached at the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs held in Abuja in March 2026.
He said the council approved the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme, a comprehensive framework designed to strengthen the cooperative sector and align it with the administration’s goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.
“The reform programme focuses on seven strategic pillars, including governance reforms, cooperative financing and the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, digitalisation, capacity building, value chain development, inclusion of youths, women and persons with disabilities, and strategic partnerships,” he said.
He said the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and the digitalisation of the cooperative sector were the two major transformational initiatives under the programme.
“The Cooperative Bank of Nigeria is aimed at rebuilding a strong cooperative financial system capable of supporting cooperators, farmers, artisans, traders, SMEs, youths, women and persons with disabilities with accessible and affordable financial services,” he said.
Abdullahi emphasised that the proposed bank would be government-enabled but not government-funded.
“Government is not establishing the bank as an owner, nor will it rely on Treasury Single Account funds.
“The role of government through the FMAFS is to provide policy support, stakeholder coordination, regulatory facilitation and an enabling environment under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme,” he said.
Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to cooperative sector transformation.
She described cooperatives as critical tools for promoting inclusive growth, grassroots productivity, food security, financial inclusion and community wealth creation.
Ambrose-Medebem said Lagos State would continue to support reforms and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (2025–2030).
“Together, let us build a cooperative ecosystem that is modern, transparent, digitally enabled, financially inclusive and globally competitive.
“Let us build cooperatives that not only mobilise savings, but also mobilise prosperity,” she said.
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