Aso Villa Reads for 30/07/18
Every day, we bring you the best stories the media is reporting about the Government of Nigeria.
“The Federal Government has issued the Water Use Licence to the Kano Hydro and Energy Development Company (KHEDCO), to enable it boost the country’s electricity. Executive Director of Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission (NIWRMC), Reuben Habu, who issued the licence recently, in Abuja, affirmed that the firm had met with the technical requirements. Habu also explained that one of the Water Use licence issued is for 10MW Tiga Hydroelectric Power plant station located at Bebeji Local Government Area of Kano state. He added that their source of water is Kano River and annual water abstraction threshold (m) is 1.9 billion cubic meters Tiga dam storage reservoir, while the second Water Use Licence is for 6MW Challawa Hydroelectric power plant station located in Karaye, Kano State.” The Sun reported.
Punch reports that “the Federal Ministry of Health has recalled 2,405, 724 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup. The Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, said this in Abuja, while receiving the final report of the stakeholders’ committee set up by the ministry to address the worrisome menace of abuse of codeine. According to a statement by the ministry on Sunday, the move was part of efforts to further demonstrate the Federal Government’s resolve to stem the abuse of codeine and other substances in Nigeria. He stated that the Federal Ministry of Health has recalled 2,405,724 million bottles of codeine cough syrup after a recent audit trail of the substance carried out by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control. The minister recalled that the committee was an offshoot of the press release issued by the ministry on the temporary ban of codeine production and distribution and further directive for NAFDAC to convene a committee of stakeholders to chart the way forward.”
“The Federal Government at the weekend assembled what it described as 1,000-strong military force to launch fierce attacks on the bandits terrorising the villages and towns of Zamfara State. This is coming as the Nigerian Army has said it neutralised 16 Boko Haram members and recovered a cache of weapons during its clearance operation in Mairari village in Monguno Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State. The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu said in a statement last night that the force comprised the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Nigeria Police and the civil defence corps. According to the statement, the NAF, following directives by the president, has begun the deployment of fighter aircraft to Katsina airport, the airport with the closest proximity to Zamfara State, to make for immediate and effective response to the menace of the bandits.” This Day reported this.
“The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is set to connect coastal creeks in Delta State with the construction of a 69km-road with 22 bridges. Executive Director of Projects, NDDC, Engr, Sam Adjogbe disclosed this when he bagged an award of excellence Buhari Support Group Center (BSGC) at Evwreni, Delta State.” According to Tribune, “he noted that the road and bridges to be soon embarked upon by the Buhari administration would help in the area of effective oil exploration and smooth running of the Maritime University at Okerenkoko, Gbaramatu kingdom of Warri South West. Speaking further on the proposed road network in the creeks, the NDDC project director affirmed that the agency was currently at the advanced stage to flag-off the construction of the 69km-road network with 22 bridges from Omadino to Okerenkoko and Escravos.”
According to a report by Vanguard, “no fewer than nine million yam seedlings are to be distributed to yam farmers across the country under the CBN’s Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP), the Technical Committee on Nigeria Yam Export says. Prof. Simon Irtwange, the Chairman of the committee, stated that the distribution would commence in the first quarter of 2019. He explained that the seedlings would be disease free seeds from aeroponics technology being commercialised with the support of International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA). According to him, CBN has accepted to put yam on the Anchor Borrowers Programme so we are right now doing documentation across states. Irtwange noted that four seed companies had been authorised by the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) to produce the yam seedlings.”
“No fewer than 30 women of the ‘batch A’ female farmers have been trained on use of ‘Vitamin A’ cassava for the production of recipes and other by- products. The women were trained under the capacity-building programmes captioned; ‘Business Opportunity in Vitamin A Cassava for Improved Nutrition and Livelihood.’ The training, which was anchored by Harvest Plus Firm at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan was a collaboration with the Federal Government and International Funds for Agricultural Development — Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD-VCDP). Anambra State Programme Coordinator for VCDP, Mr Nnamdi Agwuncha handed over ‘Start up pack’ equipment to the trainees at the ADP complex, Awka. The trainees received other equipment like, gas cylinder with burner, extruder, sealing machine and 50kg bag of Vitamin A cassava flour.” Business Day (Monday, 30th July 2018, page 45) reported.
“Several years after textile industries in the country had gone moribund, the Federal Government has concluded plans to resuscitate the sector by supplying the needed raw materials-cotton to all industries across the country. Acting Director-General of National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Alex Akpa, who disclosed this to newsmen, during a press briefing, in Abuja, said Genetically-Modified cottons have been distributed to no fewer than 1000 large scale farmers across the nation. Akpan also explained that the National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Materials at its 26th meeting in Ibadan approved the official registration of 2Bt Cotton varieties known as MRC 7377 BG 11 and MRC7361 BG11. When asked if 1000 GM cottons shared to farmers is not too small, Akpan reiterated that the cottons were given to large scale farmers who can employ nothing less 150–500 workers, adding that this is just the beginning and government is committed to increasing it soon.” So writes The Sun.
