City Crime

C’River Cassava Plant To Produce Commercial Starch, Flour

Published

4 years ago

June 2, 2021

The Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade says the state’s Cassava processing plant will produce commercial starch and modified flour.
The cassava processing factory is located in Obubra because Obubra is the largest producer of cassava in Cross River State and Cross River State is the largest producer of cassava in Nigeria,” he said.
Describing Cross River as Nigeria’s new industrial hub, Ayade expressed delight that his fellow governors had seen the wisdom in industrialising their states and had started copying his industrialisation policy.
He, however, advised them not to copy Cross River State wrongly.
“What I have done in Cross River State is to set up so many factories and each factory is sited in a location consistent with the source of raw material. I am happy today that I can see some of my colleague governors rapidly copying all of my industries and I hope they are careful not to copy an industry that is not applicable in their local circumstance.
“For example, if you put a cocoa processing factory where you don’t grow cocoa, then it doesn’t add up, so you have to be careful which industry you copy from Cross River State, otherwise you will be copying a wrong industry,” Ayade said.
Explaining the essence of industrialisation, the Cross River State number one citizen said, “I am happy to see that gradually, almost all the governors are beginning to realise that creating industries is better than creating roads.
“Roads don’t create jobs, but when you create factories, people supply raw materials, people do logistics and delivery, when they start making money, they start paying taxes, then from the profit, these taxes government will use to do roads.
“In China, roads are now gradually becoming private roads. So public roads are now hardly in use because people will use shortcuts, well-maintained roads to go through. It is a model I have found applicable in Cross River circumstance and I think it has worked very well.”
The governor further disclosed that the over 30 factories he had built are at the phase of market launch.
He noted that the industrialisation drive of his administration was ushering Cross River State into a prosperity agenda never before witnessed in the state.

By: Friday Nwagbara, Calabar

City Crime

Foundation To Host National Conference on Value Reorientation In Port Harcourt

Published

1 week ago

August 15, 2025

The Tide

The Otonti Nduka Foundation for Values Education, a non-governmental organization based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has said that foundation is set to host a one-day national conference on reviving Nigeria’s value system.

The conference which has the theme”Trends and Challenges in Upholding Values in Nigeria,” will take place on November 13, 2025, at the Obi Wali International Conference Centre in Port Harcourt.

Speaking with newsmen at the foundation’s corporate office in port Harcourt, Tuesday,the chairman of the Board of Trustees, Emeritus prof Otonti Nduka disclosed that the conference is being held in collaboration with Rivers State University (RSU) and aims to bring together professionals from across the country to discuss the nation’s values landscape and collectively reset the compass of the society’s ethical and values system.

The emeritus professor hinted that the conference will be chaired by HRM King Diete Spiff, the Amanyanbo of Twon Brass, Bayelsa State while the key note speakers include Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, and Bishop Matthew Kukah, all known for their integrity and service.

According to him, the nation’s value system has deteriorated, and concerted efforts are needed to reverse the trend and restore sanity to society , stressing that the conference is designed to chart a new course based on national values and ethical leadership.

Prof. Nduka called for support from governments, public, and private individuals to achieve the program’s objectives.

He noted that the foundation was established in 2006 to revitalize the moral fibre of Nigerian society through the enunciation, inculcation, propagation, and dissemination of positive values.

Earlier in his speech, the Chairman of the conference, prof Hillary Wordu urged the media to partner with the foundation to create the necessary sensitization and awareness for the success of the event.

He assured that the conference would address nagging national values issues, including insecurity, corruption, election malpractice, and injustice.

City Crime

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Published

2 weeks ago

August 11, 2025

TheTideAdmin

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City Crime

Nigeria Unveils 90,000km Fibre Optic Network Boost Nationwide

Published

2 weeks ago

August 11, 2025

The Tide

The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, has launched a 90,000 km fibre optic infrastructure, tagged “Project Bridge”, to accelerate connectivity across the country.

Announcing the completion of the project on Friday at a stakeholder event in Lagos, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, stated that the newly built fiber optic is the largest digital fibre backbone investment in any developing nation.

“Project Bridge is currently the largest digital fibre backbone investment in any developing nation. It is a bold and strategic effort to lay a 90,000km wholesale, open-access fibre network across the country.

“It is designed to deliver high-speed, resilient, and equitable broadband connectivity to every corner of Nigeria – from major urban hubs to remote communities”, the Minister said in an update on his X handle.

He said the project marks a major step forward in the Federal Government’s mission to build an inclusive and future-ready digital economy for Nigerians.

The project is a central part of Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan (2020-2025), which aims to boost internet penetration to 70 per cent by 2025 and 80 per cent for underserved populations by 2027.

Project Bridge, which is expected to create more jobs, will operate under a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to ensure efficiency and accountability.

The connectivity project cost the government $2 billion, and it is being funded by DFI loans and private equity, with the government holding a minority stake of 25–49 per cent in an independently run SPV.

The project targets 20,000 direct and 150,000 indirect jobs, and 1.5 per cent GDP growth. It aims to contribute from $472.6 billion to $502 billion GDP in four years.

According to the digital economy minister, Project Bridge is structured to support the needs of both large and small Internet Service Producers (ISPs), and offers scalable access through core, metropolitan, and middle-mile layers.

He promised that the digital fibre optic will accelerate fixed broadband growth nationwide by enabling healthy competition and network sharing.

The project is also billed to give an additional 90,000km to the existing 35,000km network of fibre optic cables, thereby deepening the country’s digital backbone.

The Minister explained that the project design possesses seven regional backbone rings, which interconnect Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and Lagos.

These rings, he said, will form a resilient national framework of 125,000km of fibre that ensures redundancy, minimises latency, and supports seamless data flow across the country.

According to Mr. Tijani, the structure is critical to meeting growing national demand for high-capacity digital infrastructure.

He further stated that each region is covered by a dedicated fibre ring to connect urban centers and enhance regional connectivity.

“Each region is covered by a dedicated fibre ring (Lagos, South West, South South, South East, North Central, North East, and North West), strategically planned to connect urban centres and enhance regional interconnectivity.

“This regional design supports economic activity, governance, education, and digital access across all zones”, he stated.

Additionally, the network extends to all 774 Local Government Area (LGA) headquarters to establish Points of Presence (PoPs), which serve as key distribution points.

The presence of PoPs is to integrate remote regions with national digital frameworks, which are determined by population density and demand to accommodate future expansion.

The Minister explained that Project Bridge will extend to linking the country’s administrative wards to close the distance gaps of networks in rural communities.

“From each LGA PoP, fibre links will extend to Nigeria’s administrative wards, particularly targeting schools and healthcare facilities.

“These ward-level nodes function as mini PoPs, enabling further last-mile distribution and helping close the access gap in rural communities. The average LGA-to-ward distance is ~6km, guiding deployment estimates.

“The last mile remains essential and will involve linking service providers to homes, offices, and institutions using fibre or other technologies.

“This final layer will be supported by the foundational middle-mile network, enabling broader internet access across Nigeria”, Mr. Tijani said.

The stakeholder event was hosted in partnership with the Association of Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ATCON).