Business
FG Registers 2.5m Farmers Nationwide
The Federal Government says it has so far registered more than 2.5 million farmers under its farmers’ census exercise nationwide. The Director, Federal Department of Rural Development, Mr Daniel Da-oud, disclosed this in Abuja on Monday.
Daoud said that the data had been captured in the ongoing nationwide farmers registration exercise. He reiterated Federal Government’s readiness to provide the farmers with adequate farm inputs to support them and boost agricultural production.
He said no fewer than eight million forms were distributed to all the states of the federation and FCT for the registration exercise. The director explained that the target was to register five million farmers yearly, so that by 2015, at least 20 million of them would have been registered.
Daoud gave assurance that the exercise would ensure that all the small scale farmers captured received adequate support.
The farmers are expected to be registered through the Electronic Wallet (e-Wallet) Growth Enhancement Programme under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda policy.
The E-Wallet system is a scheme where the farmer gets a telephone alert on the quantity of fertilizers and other inputs allocated to him or her with the access pin number at a designated agro-dealer centre.
Daoud said the system had been tested in some pilot states to know the challenges and that government was working towards perfecting the programme owing to the lapses that were identified during the test run.
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.