News
1,000 Ex-Agitators Begin Training In Cassava Processing, 2022
The Project Management Consultant for the 60-daily-metric-ton Bayelsa Cassava Processing Factory, Mr. Adebowale Ayoade, has disclosed that about 1,000 ex-agitators and delegates of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) would begin training at the facility in the first quarter of 2022 subject to the approval of PAP’s leadership.
Ayoade, who described the facility as the biggest industrial starch plant in Nigeria and the second largest in Sub-Saharan Africa, said that delegates would receive theoretical and practical training on cassava cultivation, starch processing and management.
The project manager and the Interim Administrator, PAP, Col. Miland Dixon Dikio (rtd), who was represented by his Special Assistant on Projects, Godwin Ekpo, had recently inspected the multi-billion naira factory, located at Ebedebiri, Sagabama, Bayelsa State.
Speaking, last Monday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Ayoade explained that after the training, the ex-agitators would become outgrowers of cassava stems to feed the factory.
He said the facility would buy all the cassava from the farms to be established by trained delegates, adding that the training would be handled by resource persons certified by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
Ayoade said every arrangement for the training such as accommodation for delegates, their feeding, resource materials and facilitators, had been put in place to ensure smooth take-off and conclusion of the programme.
He said the training venue is the University of Africa (UOA) satellite campus close to the cassava processing plant in Ebedebiri, adding that the ex-agitators would have a rewarding experience.
He said: “They will be taught theoretical and practical cassava farming courses from beginning to end, both in the classrooms and farms. The people who are coming to conduct the training are IITA certified trainers.
“The factory can do 60,000 metric tons of industrial starch working at a single shift of 250 days in a year and what that translates to, is that, we need about 200,000 tons of cassava to feed it. We need to farm on 10, 000 hectares of land.”
Dikio had earlier explained that PAP settled for the Cassava Processing Factory to train ex-agitators on skills they required to boost food security in the Niger Delta and the country.
He insisted that food security remained one of the tripods of his vision to train, employ and mentor ex-warlords on massive opportunities in agriculture, including cassava farming and starch processing.
He said the factory, built by the Bayelsa State Government, has modern equipment to teach the amnesty delegates the process of converting cassava to starch.
He said: “The 60 metric tons of cassava processing plant has a huge capacity and it is part of the facility that we will use for our Train, Employ and Mentor (TEM) empowerment strategy.
“The facility will help many of our delegates and give them employment. It is an incredible facility located in the region. It will help them and also achieve our vision of turning these ex-agitators into entrepreneurs”.
By: Akujobi Amadi
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has tasked troops of Operation SAVANNAH SHIELD to dominate the battlespace and intensify offensive operations against kidnappers, bandits and other criminal elements in the North Central region.
Shaibu gave the directive yesterday during his maiden operational visit to the Headquarters, Joint Task Force North Central (JTF-NC), at Sobi Barracks, Ilorin.
This is contained in a statement by the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Appolonia Anele, in Abuja, yesterday.
Shaibu said the Nigerian Army would remain resolute in its constitutional responsibility of safeguarding lives and property, stressing that troops must sustain pressure to decisively deny criminal elements freedom of action.
He assured personnel of continued deployment of combat enablers and operational resources to enhance clearance operations and dismantle criminal hideouts across Kwara and Niger states.
The COAS reaffirmed his commitment to troop welfare, noting that improved welfare remained critical to sustaining morale, operational effectiveness and combat readiness.
He urged the troops to remain disciplined, professional and loyal to the Constitution and the democratically elected government.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander, JTF-NC Operation SAVANNAH SHIELD, Maj.-Gen. Yakubu Yahaya, commended the COAS for his strategic leadership and support.
Yahaya assured that troops would remain committed and steadfast in restoring peace and stability in the region.
The Nigerian Navy says it is expanding training and infrastructure to address emerging security threats and strengthen operational efficiency across formations and units nationwide.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Idi Abbas, spoke during the inauguration of projects at the Nigerian Navy Basic Training School (NNBTS) in Onne, Rivers as part of activities marking the Nigerian Navy’s 70th anniversary.
Abbas, represented by the Flag Officer Commanding, Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC), Rear Adm. Ebiobowei Zipele, said the projects reflected significant progress made by the navy since its establishment in 1956 from the British Royal Navy.
“Training and infrastructure have improved significantly to meet contemporary security challenges and fulfil the navy’s constitutional responsibilities.”
According to him, the anniversary provides the navy an opportunity to reflect on its achievements and contributions over the past seven decades.
Projects inaugurated included a remodelled female trainees’ hostel accommodating more than 500 occupants and an expanded golf course upgraded from one to nine holes.
Others were the NNBTS fuel dump, Chief Boatswain’s Mate House, renovated pharmacy department and a new theatre block at the Naval Medical Centre, Onne.
Abbas described the new theatre as a major milestone for the navy’s medical services.
“Previously, injured personnel requiring surgeries were referred outside the facility.
“With this theatre, surgeries can now be conducted within the base.’’
He added that a 30KVA inverter had also been installed to guarantee uninterrupted electricity supply at the training school.
The naval chief assured officers, ratings and trainees that the navy leadership remained committed to their welfare and wellbeing.
“These infrastructure upgrades show the commitment of the Chief of Naval Staff to addressing operational and welfare challenges promptly,” he said.
In addition, NAVTRAC distributed educational materials to pupils of Community Primary Schools One and Two, Ogale, in Ebubu-Eleme area of Rivers.
Items distributed included exercise books, school bags and other writing materials as part of the navy’s civil-military engagement initiative.
Zipele said the outreach was designed to strengthen relations between the navy and host communities while supporting children’s education.
“Education remains critical to national growth and youth empowerment. Some of these pupils may eventually serve in the Nigerian Navy,” he said.
He noted that the initiative demonstrated the navy’s commitment to educational development, peace, security and sustainable community relations.
Zipele urged the pupils to remain disciplined, focused and committed to their studies while embracing patriotism, integrity and hard work.
He thanked the Ebubu community for its continued support for the naval training command headquarters and the navy.
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