Aso Villa Reads for Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021
Every day, we bring you the best stories that the Media is reporting about the Government of Nigeria
Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated AbdulRasheed Bawa as the substantive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Bawa’s nomination was contained in Buhari’s letter of nomination to the Nigerian Senate for confirmation. The EFCC chairman-nominee has undergone several specialised trainings in different parts of the world and was one of the pioneer EFCC cadet officers in 2005. Bawa holds a B.Sc degree in economics, and masters degree in international affairs and diplomacy. [Guardian]
The Nigerian Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) has so far facilitated over N148 billion in finance and investments for agriculture and agribusiness in the country since its inception in 2016. Its Managing Director, Mr Abdulhameed Aliyu, made the disclosure in Abuja at an interactive session with journalists. According to him, the agency, which is a creation of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has aggregated over 3,000 agro geo-cooperatives with 500,000 farmers on nearly 800,000 hectares of land. [Sun News]
History was made at exactly 3:29 pm (Nigerian time) on Monday, as the Geneva-based World Trade Organisation (WTO) tweeted the confirmation of the appointment of Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, as Director-General of the global trade body. Her term starts on March 1.Okonjo-Iweala becomes the first woman and first African to clinch the plum job. [Sun News]
The Federal Government has begun the verification of employees of non-core Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Abuja. Mrs Anne Atta, the Director, Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), made this known on Monday in a statement issued by Mr Abdulganiyu Aminu, Director, Press, Office of HOCSF. [Vanguard]
The federal government through the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo has advised members of the Association of Nigeria Women Business Network to take advantage of the various intervention programmes to grow their businesses. The intervention programmes, according to the minister, includes the SMEs Survival Fund and N50 billion Export Expansion Facility amongst others. [Blueprint]
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has assured the Republic of Cuba of government’s drive to collaborate with them in the production of Corona virus vaccine. Onu stated this during a visit of the Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs. Clara Pulido-Escandell and her delegation to his office, on Monday in Abuja. He lauded Cuban government for their various interventions in health sector especially during the outbreak of Ebola virus in Nigeria. [Blueprint]
The federal government has commenced plans to educate over 13.2 million out of school children in different parts of the country, including the girl-child, Almajiri children, children of nomadic pastoralists, boy child, area boys, children of migrant fishermen in farming communities, internally displaced children in conflict prone areas, among others, through the Alternate School Programme (ASP), which would be piloted in Nasarawa and Kaduna states. [Blueprint]
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji. Muhammad Sabo Nanono has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) West Africa PRO-Cashew Project to develop the Cashew Agro Industry, stating that the initiative will improve productivity, expand the National Hectareage of the crop and most importantly achieve National food and nutrition security, revenue generation, exchange earnings, wealth creation and employment in the country. [Blueprint]
The Nigerian government has said it is collaborating with the United Nations to organise the Nigeria National Food Systems Dialogue (NNFSD) 2021. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Mrs Olusola Idowu, disclosed this at Webinar for Journalists. She said the NNFSD is in preparation for the upcoming United Nations Food System Summit (UNFSS) which Nigeria as a member nation is bound to participate. [Tribune]
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