Covid-19: LASG Begins Decontamination Against Spread Of Virus |The Source

-

January 17, 2021

By Akinwale Kasali

Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State is set to boost the economy of the State in Snail Production.

The State Government is set to lead Africa as the continent’s hub of large scale commercial production of Snail, whose global trade is worth 12 Billion Dollars.

Governor Fayemi will declare open the Farmkonnect Egbeja Snail Village billed to produce millions of Snails for local and international market.

According to the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Olabode Adetoyi, the Governor will commission the ultra modern N5 Billion Naira Snail project with stocking capacity of 2 million snails per cycle.

Experts said the project is the first of its kind in Ekiti State and Nigeria.

Adetoyi said the project is the second biggest snail farm in Africa.

“This Agric project will attract 3000 employment. All State Executive Council , Officials and friends of Ekiti State Government are cordially invited” he said in a release made available to Irohinoodua on Saturday.

The farming of snail is called heliciculture. It takes between 10 to 30 days for the tiny eggs to hatch releasing multiple snails about 4 mm long but could grow up to 10 mm per month.

In about half a year, the Achatina fulica is about 35 mm long and ready for reproduction

Sometimes the sexual maturity takes 6 to 16 months, depending on diet which should include Calcium.

The snail international market booms with the share of export in total global output being about 80% in 2007-2016.

Experts say trade boom is fueled by acccess to ready made market.

France, Germany and Portugal are some of the leading European countries where snails are consumed

Portugal for instance is the world’s biggest consumer of snails with some 30,000 tonnes consumed annually

Touchstone Agriculture, a top Agricultural Organization revealed in 2014 that the value of global consumption of snails was estimated around 450.000 tons worth over 12 billion dollars.

Utomi Slamed Buhari Over Claim On State Of Nation |The Source

By

-

January 17, 2021

By Akinwale Kasali

Former Presidential Aspirant, political economist and Co-convener, National Consultative Forum, Prof. Pat Utomi, has lambasted and rejected the claim by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration that Nigeria is better than it met it in 2015.

Utomi said that Nigeria was not the poverty capital of the world seven years ago, but currently had more people living in extreme poverty than any country worldwide.

He expressed concerns on the rising inflation rate and shrinking debt to revenue ratio, which was as high as 99% in Q1 2020 and 95% in Q3 2020.

Buhari had, in a self-assessment report Wednesday, claimed that Nigeria was better than he met it more than five years ago while hosting the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, Revd Yakubu Pam.

While the dust raised by the president’s self-assessment report was yet to settle, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released its Consumer Price Index (CPI) with an indication that inflation rate increased by 15.75 per cent (year-on-year) in December 2020 compared to 14.48 per cent in November 2020.

Under Jonathan, the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was $546.7 billion in 2014, the year before Buhari assumed office. It plunged to $486.8 billion in 2015; $404.7 billion 2016; $375.7 billion in 2017; then rose to $397.2 billion in 2018 and $448.1 billion in 2019.

The official data of the World Bank put Nigeria’s 2020 GDP at $250 billion, though the bank’s projection revealed that rate might be around $360 billion in 2021 and $450 billion in 2020.

Confronted with these stark realities under the Buhari administration, Utomi, founder/CEO, Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL), said: “The truth of the matter is that Nigeria is not in a good shape. Nigeria is the poverty capital of the world today. But it was not seven years ago.”

He, also, said Nigeria “is more divided and tense today than it was seven years ago. Nigeria has been getting progressively worse. Every government has been worse than the one before it. That is the tragedy of Nigeria.”

Amid worsening socio-economic indices under Buhari’s administration, the political economist warned that national disaster was looming if the country’s political leaders did not change their behaviour in public service.

Concerned about the future of the federation, Utomi said: “I have talked about this several times. National disaster is looming. The fact is that political actors do not understand the meaning of public service any more.”

In concept, the political economist argued that public service “is a place where people make sacrifices to build a greater tomorrow” contrary to the thinking of the present political leaders at virtually all levels.

He lamented that the country’s political actors “always want their rewards on earth and right now even if it destroys tomorrow,” which according to him, was the reason the federation was descending into deteriorating socio-economic and political conditions.

Utomi lamented: “If we look at the scramble to borrow and what it is being committed to, which is not in productive activities, we know tomorrow will be scary and perhaps most uncertain. There is no question about that.”

He, however, admitted that Nigeria could still be rescued out of the woods only if political actors, irrespective of their ethnic nationalities, political leanings and religious bias, could change their behaviour in public service.

To tame the country’s intractable debt crisis, the political economist observed that the policy option that the present government should consider “is to focus any borrowing on intense production concentration.

“When you produce enough to meet that concentration will not only amortize the debt, but also will also provide you more employment and expand the economy. General borrowing can only lead us to more trouble.”

Utomi recommended the need for all political actors across party lines “to change behaviour. There is no point in borrowing when no investor wants to invest in Nigeria because of the behaviour of our political leaders.

“Nigeria is considered an unsafe place to invest in because of the regulatory risks. The investors are more likely to fail in business because of the actions of the government than any market force. We spend so much in infrastructure and no person comes to invest. What is the point?”

Utomi, therefore, argued that the starting point to rescue Nigeria from descent into insolvency “must be the behaviour of political leaders in Nigeria. If they do not change it, we are finished. It does not matter what else we do. One business fails everyday because of the government.

“Most of the money spent on infrastructure is unnecessary. There is private money we can attract and spend on infrastructure. But that private money is scared of Nigeria because it does not know if the next governor will come in, he will continue or discontinue with the project.

Insurgency: Army Says It Has Weakened Boko Haram |The Source

By

-

January 17, 2021

By Akinwale Kasali

The Army says that Boko Haram Insurgents would soon become history in the country because It has “weakened enemies” of the country who no longer have “sovereignty or authority” on any territory in the country.

The defense spokesman, Major General John Enenche, stated this while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme commemorating the Armed Forces Remembrance Day. The presidency had earlier said Boko Haram insurgents are weaker compared to 2015.

“Boko Haram is much weaker today than in 2015, as attested to by the Governor of Borno state on December 6, 2020,” Femi Adesina, presidentiaal spokesman, had said in a statement.

Affirming the stance of the Presidency , Eneche said as of 2015, Boko Haram had between 17 and 20 local government areas under its control.

He said those territories were recaptured under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Yes, the Commander-in-Chief is very right by saying that we have a weaker Boko Haram. Why is it so? In the sense that as at 2015, before they came on board, we had a very terrible situation in the northeast.

“Between 17 and 20 local government areas were under the full authority of the insurgents, that is the Boko Haram group and what does that translate to. It translated to a fact that they (referring to Boko Haram) constituted authority, local administration and judiciary.

“They were even collecting levies, which we can term taxes, the people were subject to them, they sack traditional rulers and most of them were into exile. By 2016, the whole place were recaptured.”

Eneche said the current crop of Boko Haram insurgents are hiding from one bush to another enclave with no capacity to fight.

“Now what we have as Boko Haram is a weakened enemy of the country, so it is very right going by my analysis I just made,” he said.

“Whereby they were moving from bush to enclave, from enclave to bush. They do not have any sovereignty or authority in any territory in the northeast, by extension Nigeria, so we now have a weakened Boko Haram.

“Of, course if they are strong force to be contended with, why don’t they come out? They cannot come out.”

New Judge For Ekiti State Judiciary |The Source

By

Ayodele Oni

-

January 17, 2021

By Ayodele Oni

A new Judge for Ekiti state judiciary will be inaugurated on Tuesday by Governor Kayode Fayemi.

The appointment of the new Judge, Adeniyi Familoni, was ratified by the National Judicial Council, (NJC) last week.

Barrister Adeniyi Familoni, was until his appointment, Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Chieftaincy Affairs.

The NJC had found Familoni suitable for appointment.

Familoni began his career as a Legal Officer in the Ondo State Ministry of Justice in 1996, and later, Ekiti State Ministry of Justice where he, at various times, held offices as Director Law Review, Director Citizens Rights, Director Civil Litigations and Director Public Prosecutions.

He was appointed Permanent Secretary in Ekiti State Civil Service in April 2019 and posted to Bureau of Chieftaincy Affairs.

Pan Yoruba Group Navigates The Future For Yoruba Nation |The Source

By

-

January 16, 2021

By Akinwale Kasali

Pan Yoruba Group, Youth Patriots Movement, is set to navigate the future of the Yoruba, in a move to have the Oduduwa Republic it has been clamouring for.

In this vein, a summit of Yoruba leaders, eminent personalities and cross section of stakeholders is set to hold in Ibadan, Oyo state on Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 10am.

The Summit, conveyed under the aegis of Yoruba Patriots Movement with the theme “Yoruba Nation: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” is scheduled for the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.

It is to be held in strict compliance with COVID-19 protocols, and will feature a virtual component to facilitate the participation of wide spectrum of stakeholders in the affairs of Yoruba nation.

The Summit will deliberate on prevailing and future socio-political challenges as well as prospects of Yoruba nation with emphasis on issues that bother on the welfare, security and mutual coexistence of Yoruba people within a peaceful, stable and united Nigeria.

It is to be co-chaired by General Alani Akinrinade, former Chief of Defence Staff and High Chief Rashidi Ladoja, former Governor of Oyo State, and will have in attendance present and former governors as well as notable past and present political office holders in the six southwest States of Lagos, Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo. The Summit will receive royal blessings from custodians of Yoruba Traditional institutions: Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi (Ojaja II), Ooni of Ife; Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi (II), Alaafin of Oyo.

Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo (II), Alake of Egba Land; Oba Rilwan Akiolu, Oba of Lagos; Oba Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan; Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom; Oba Rufus Aladesanmi (II), Ewi of Ado Ekiti; Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji (Aje Oguguniso I), Olubadan of Ibadan Land; Oba Sikiru Adetona, The Awujale of Ijebu Land; Oba Adebanji Ajibade Alabi (Afuntade I), Alawe of Ilawe; Oba (Dr.) Aderemi Alayemore, the Olujudo of Ido-Osun.

Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Professor Yemi Osinbajo will declare the Summit open. Prominent Yoruba political chieftains and opinion leaders expected at the Summit include Afenifere patriarch, Chief Reuben Fasoranti; Senator Biyi Durojaiye, Prince Tajudeen Olusi, Otunba Subomi Balogun, Chief Afe Babalola, Aare Gani Adams amongst others.

Key resource persons for the Summit include Pastor Tunde Bakare, Latter Rain Assembly; Dr. Yemi Farounbi, Former Nigeria Ambassador to Phillipine; Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu, Obafemi Awolowo Foundation; Professor Ayoade Oduola, Director, University of Ibadan Research Foundation; Professor Siyan Oyefeso, Director General, Centre of African Culture, Osogbo; Professor Adegbenga Onabamiro, Dr. Azeez Adeduntan and Senator Smart Adeyemi representing Kogi West.

A communiqué on the way forward that approximates the concerns and expectations of Yoruba nation in Nigeria will emanate from deliberations at the Summit.

This was disclosed by Engr. Adekunle Olayinka, Secretary, Planning Committee for PAN Yoruba Summit Conveners in a statement made available to Newsmen.

Buhari Appoints Inlaw, Marwa NDLEA Boss

By

-

January 16, 2021

By Tosin Olatokunbo

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed a former military administrator of Lagos state, Buba Marwa as the new chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA. The appointment came barely a week after the president failed to re-appoint the former chairman, Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (rtd).

Until this appointment, Mohamed Buba Marwa was the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Drug Abuse. The former military administrator, MILAD is now effectively the boss of the agency.

His predecessor was appointed on January 12, 2016 by the former Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Engr. Babachair Lawal, but had recently came under public scrutiny for mismanaging the agency, particularly, his decision to hurriedly recruit 5000 fresh staff when his term had already ended. He was sacked despite his intense lobby to retain his job for another four years.

Marwa was born on September 9, 1953, a retired Nigerian army officer who served as governor of Borno State, and then Lagos State during the military administrations of Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha.

He was commissioned as 2nd lieutenant in the Nigerian Army Reconnaissance Corps before moving to the Armoured Corp. He held various posts in the army, including Brigade Major (23 Armoured Brigade), Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Theophilus Danjuma, academic registrar of the Nigerian Defense Academy and deputy defense adviser in the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, DC.

In 1990, he was appointed Governor of Borno State. In 1992, he became the defense adviser to the Nigerian Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

The NDLEA boss’ step son recently married President Buhari’s daughter .

Meanwhile, close watchers of the para-military organization insist that the two-time MILAD will bring forth, to his new job, his experience as a military technocrat and seasoned administrator.

Kwara: Gov Shuts Out Ministers, As Battle For APC Intensifies

By

-

January 16, 2021

By Tosin Olatokunbo

Laid Mohammed and Gbemisola Saraki could not have imagined that they will be jilted by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq who they helped to power last year. The unexpected has now happened as the man who rode on their support to become governor has thrown them out of the bus.

Keen watchers said, it would have been impossible for Governor Abdulrazaq to defeat his opponent in the election, if not for the help of Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Saraki, the Minister of state who worked against his brother Bukola Saraki, former Senate President’s interest.

The ministers are now counting their loss after Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, who rose on their crest to power turned against them. Since he came to power last year, the governor’s relationship with his former political allies have gone cold after they clashed on the control of the soul of APC in the Harmony state. as Kwara is widely known. But the recent removal, from office, of APC chairman and his replacement with Alhaji Abdullahi Samari an ally of the states’ helmsman has further worsens the crisis of confidence among the APC stalwarts.

What happened? Governor Abdulrazaq and his allies in the party accused the former chairman of working against his government, aside involvement in anti-party activity. The state government said the former APC chair was working with some enemies of the state to destroy the government, an obvious veiled reference to Mohammed and Saraki who have publicly criticised the administrative style of the governor. They also accused him of disrespecting Governor Abdulrazaq.

Taking a swipe at the ministers recently, some chieftains of the party in the state described the duo as paper weight politicians without followers. The governor’s loyalist said the ministers are supporting “failed governorship aspirants” against the governor, who they said have turned the state aroung within one year in office.

Led by Chairman of the Kwara APC Elders Forum, Kunle Suleiman, Nigeria’s immediate-past ambassador to Malaysia, Amb, Nurudeen Muhammed and Senator Suleiman Makanjuola Ajadi, the APC leaders told journalists at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, that the minister have no electoral value.

Bukola-Saraki — Bukola Rallies PDP Supporters

Other members of the delegation were Gen. Tunde Bello (retd), Sen. Muhammed Ahmed, Chief JB Ayeni (Chairman APC Elders Forum in Kwara South), Alhaji Alabi Ilyasu, Chief Wole Oke, Hon. Ayinla Folorunsho, Alhaji Abubakar Ndakene, Hon. Mumuni Katugi, Gen. Ibrahim Bola Kale Agbabiaka and Alhaji Hameed Adio.

Suleiman said; “Those ministers and Association of Failed Governorship Aspirants can come to Abuja to say nonsense but they are just paperweight politicians. They have no influence at the grassroots. Even a professor, like Oba Abdulrasheed who prides himself as a former university vice-chancellor, would still have to come to the grassroots to learn”.

Ajadi on his part said the two ministers are presidential appointees who lack the capability to win elections. “Ministers are not elected officials. President Muhammadu Buhari picked them not based on their capability to win elections. If you check the pedigree of the two ministers you will understand what I am saying that they do not have the capacity to win elections”, he stated.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Nigerias minister of Information — Mohammed Laments Governor’s Take Over of Party

The elders further stated that Governor Abdulrahman “is ending the helicopter money politics that had plagued Kwara’s past”, adding that within the past 18 months, the administration has fixed over 100 rural and urban roads, culverts and bridges. They threw their weight behind the decision of the national leadership of the party to appoint Alhaji Abdullahi Samari as the Acting state Chairman of the party, which obviously did not go down well with the Abuja group led by Mohammed and Saraki.

The APC Caretaker Committee led by Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni. state had dissolved the state APC chapter and appointed a new exco led by Samari.

Addressing journalists earlier in the week, in Abuja after meeting with the National Secretary of the party, Sen. John Akpanudoedehe, Iyiola Oyedepo, the leader of the Mohammed/ Saraki group said he was disappointed with the decision of the party, warning that the APC could lose the election in 2023.

Oyedepo said“We have resolved to reject the verdict of the National Caretaker Committee on the purported removal of Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa. It is worth nothing more than the value of the paper on which the letter given to Hon Sanmari Abdulahi is written. It certainly shall not work in Kwara State no matter who is behind it.

Though when we told the Secretary that the decision could sink the party in the state, he said they really do not care. And he repeated during the conversation more than five times that he was acting under the instructions of the Chairman, Mai Mala Buni.

“We shall prove to those that aborted the peoples’ revolution foisting on our party the present situation since 2018 that Kwara is not an appendage of any outside power conspiracy. They continue to compromise our noble cause with these unacceptable decisions and we shall henceforth prove to those that are not popular at home but rather rely on political manipulations from outside that, the game is up,” Oyedepo added.

Watchers of politics in the state said the tug of war among APC stalwarts could affect their chances of retaining the state in the next general election. Citing the recent tumulus return of former Senate President, Saraki to the state, the school of thought said the crack in the ruling party is what the PDP needed to return to power in the state.

Apart from this, critics of the ruling party insist that some aggrieved members in the APC could form alliance with other party to ensure that Governor Abdulrazaq did not return to power in two years time.” The way things are going, you cannot rule out the realignment of forces in both APC and PDP. There is too much bad blood among members of the ruling party in the state which have opened their flanks to the opposition. The bickering has energized the PDP to re-launch itself back to the state, after the disgrace outing it experienced last year,” Kamoru Oba, a political analyst in the state said.

Meanwhile, sources in the APC said the party is on top of the crisis and will do everything to bring the aggrieved party members together. A source said “Governor Abdulrazaq need all these people to return to power. The party will bring all feuding members together before the next election.”

Lagos Debt To Hit Alarming N700bn By End of Year

By

-

January 15, 2021

By Fola James

The Lagos state government has disclosed that it will borrow a whopping N192.494 billion to fund the 2021 budget. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had after signing the N1.16 trillion budget, two weeks ago, said it will be financed from internal and external loans.

The borrowing will effectively increase the state’s debt stock to over N700 billion, watchers of the Center of Excellence said.

According to the state state’s Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Samuel Egube, who spoke to the media while presenting 2021 budget, the borrowed funds will be tied to specific projects that will be beneficial to the people of the state. The state government said its debt is still below the 40 per cent thresh hold set by the federal government and other international development partners.

The state has been criticized for being the highest borrower among the 36 states in the country. The Debt Management Office, DMO in its 2019 report said Lagos sits atop the list of debtor states after incurring a total of over N513 billion out of the N1.043 trillion total debt stocks of the 36 states and FCT.

Egube who gave a breakdown of the budget said the total revenue estimate is N971.02 billion, consisting of internal generated revenue , IGR of N723.81 billion; capital receipts (N71.81 billion); and federal transfer of N175.40 billion.

He said, “The Lagos 2021 budget is made up of N702.93 billion for capital expenditure and N460.49 billion for recurrent expenditure, implying 60:40 capital to recurrent ratio against 2020 budget which was at 55:45 capital to recurrent ratio.

“The breakdown of Lagos recurrent expenditure shows that total personnel cost (N168.72 billion); total overhead costs (N260.07 billion); and debt charges (N31.87 billion).”

While signing the financial estimates approved by the state’s house of assembly tagged “Budget of Rekindling Hope,” penultimate week, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the sums of N703.23 billion has been allocated for capital expenditure while N451.75 billion for recurrent expenditure.

N400b Covid-19 Vaccines: FG, States Clash Over Allocation

By

-

January 15, 2021