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  • AFAN decries unwholesome activities of fake agro-chemicals dealers

    The Niger chapter, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), has decried the unwholesome activities of fake Agro-Chemical dealers in the country.

    Alhaji Shehu Galadima, AFAN chairman in Niger, said in an interview on Friday that such dealers were distributing fake and adulterated agro-chemicals to unsuspecting farmers.

    Galadima urged the federal government to take drastic measures towards tackling the activities of fake agro-chemical dealers to mitigate their negative effects on farming.

    He said that fake and adulterated agro-chemicals were harmful to crops and hampered productivity.

    The AFAN chairman urged the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria to beam their searchlights on the activities of fake agro-chemical dealers.

    “There are a lot of fake and adulterated agro-chemicals and improved seeds in circulation around the country.

    “These chemicals and seeds affect the farmers negatively, the end result is poor productivity and output from the farms,” he said.

    NAN reports that recently, Mr Aniko Ibrahim, NAFDAC Coordinator in Niger, announced the arrest of two persons suspected to be involved in fake agro-chemical circulation in the state.

  • Breaking: Nigeria recalls Ambassador to South Africa

    Nigeria has recalled it Ambassador to South Africa, Ambassador Kabiru Bala and also pulled out of World Economic Summit holding in Cape Town on Wednesday.

    A source closed to the presidency told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Nigeria also demanded for full compensation for the loss of life and property of Nigerians affected by the xenophobic attack.

    More details…

  • Niger Delta Youths Condemn Condemn Against NDDC Board

    (FLOWERBUD NEWS) The Niger Delta Youth Council (NDYC) have condemned protests against the newly appointed Board members of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).In a statement on Friday in Abuja, the NDYC National Coordinator, Mr Jator Abido and the Rivers Coordinator, Mr Chinedu Livinus said the NDDC Board members were people of proven integrity that would take the region out the dungeon.The group particularly urged the National Youth Council Of Nigeria (NYCN) and the Western Ijaw Consultative Assembly (WICA) not to surrender their credible organisations to the whims and caprices of those who have held the region captive for many years.Abido said the NDYC would expose those sponsoring series of protests against the newly constituted Board of the NDDC.“The NDDC was established to address development issues in the region; successive leaderships of the Commission derailed from the essence of its establishment.“However, we are optimistic and confident in the ability of the new Board; The Niger Delta is all we have and must all put aside sentiments and support what is right in the interest of development of our area.“We repeatedly called for probe of leaderships of the Commission right from its inception,” Abido said.He said the NDYC would no longer take it lightly with persons and groups that are bent on keeping the region underdeveloped adding that time has come for the region to take its rightful place in terms of development.“We will no longer fold our arms and allow treacherous persons to continue to take advantage of the youths they have kept perpetually poor and ill-educated to cause mayhem in our region and the nation in general.“Therefore, this should serve as friendly warning to those sponsoring protests against the NDDC Board. We shall henceforth, mobilise our members to put a stop to this cheap blackmail.“Enough is enough; the Niger Delta region is bigger and more important than any individual or group interest”, Abido stressed.He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to disregard those that want the country to return to old order adding that it is laughable that the cabal would claim the appointment was illegally done. (NAN)

  • BEST PERFORMING STATE, GROUP PRESENTS AWARD TO OSUN.

  • Federal Fire Service Establishes 6 Additional Zonal Offices

    (FLOWERBUDNEWS) The Federal Fire Service (FFS) said on Thursday it had established six additional zonal offices to boost service delivery across the country.

    Mr Liman Ibrahim, its Comptroller General, announced this at a press briefing in Abuja.

    “The essence of the spread is to deliver quality fire fighting services, improve the response time to emergencies and complement efforts of the state fire services.

    “When I came, we had presence only in Abuja, Lagos and the six geo-political zones. We believe that the new zones will widen our reach and strengthen us to do more.”

    He listed the zones to include Zone G, with headquarters in Minna, which is expected to cater for Niger, Kogi and Kwara, while Zone H, with headquarters in Sokoto, would cater for Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi.

    Others included Zone I with headquarters in Yola, to cater for Adamawa, Taraba and Gombe, while Zone J, with headquarters in Owerri, would cater for Abia and Imo.

    Others included Zone K, expected to cover Delta, Edo and Bayelsa, with headquarters in Asaba, while Zone L, with headquarters in Osogbo, would cater for Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States.

    Ibrahim said that the zonal headquarters would be equipped with firefighting trucks while experienced firemen would be deployed to man them.

    He said that the federal government was focused on strengthening the state fire services for effectiveness and efficiency, adding that the FFS was already reaching out to state governors to secure their support and encouragement.

    “I want to believe that a strengthened state fire service complemented by our presence in the zones will go a long way in addressing the gaps in fire service delivery across the country.

    “We have also received approval for the establishment of additional five fire service training schools which will soon take off. They are to be located in Maiduguri, Calabar, Ilorin, Katsina and Umuahia.”

    Ibrahim, however, said that the service had recorded very few fire outbreaks in the last six months, adding that more efforts were being put into ensuring that the country was free from fire outbreaks. (NAN)

  • Xenophobia: We’ve drawn Redline against South Africa -FG

    The Federal Government Wednesday warned the South African government against any further xenophobic attacks on Nigerian citizens in the south coast country. (more…)

  • South Africa embassy closed in Nigeria – Minister

    South Africa has temporarily closed its embassy in Nigeria following the ongoing xenophobic crisis, Foreign Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor told Reuters.
    She said South Africa was in constant contact with Nigerian authorities to try to restore calm, adding there is no provision in local law for compensation for damage caused in the attacks.
    “There is an Afrophobia we are sensing that exists, there is resentment and we need to address that,” Pandor said on the sidelines of a continental economic conference in Cape Town.

  • Hurricane Dorian regains strength as it targets the Carolinas

    Dorian regained strength to become a major Category 3 hurricane on Thursday as it churned towards the Carolinas, with forecasters warning coastal residents of potentially devastating storm surge flooding.

    Dorian had weakened as it scraped past the Florida coast, after earlier causing catastrophic damage to the Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane.

    At least 20 people are known to have died as the storm battered the island chain for some 48 hours, ravaging the country with massive flooding, flattening entire neighbourhoods and stranding residents due to impassable high water.

    The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre said early Thursday that Dorian was packing maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometres per hour.

    It warned low-lying residents in the states of Georgia, South and North Carolina, and Virginia of “life-threatening inundation’’ from rising water.

    Forecasters said Dorian’s centre should move near to, or over, the North Carolina coast later Thursday.

    By Saturday morning it is expected to be hovering around the New England area as a far-weaker storm before dissipating in the North Atlantic.

  • South Africa acknowledges ‘Afrophobia’ partly to blame for violence against foreigners

    South Africa’s Foreign Minister acknowledged on Thursday that prejudice against people from other African countries was one of the causes behind deadly attacks on foreign-owned businesses, a day after Pretoria was forced to shut its embassy in Nigeria over threats of retaliatory violence.

    At least five Africans have been killed in attacks on foreigners in South Africa this week.

    On Wednesday South African companies MTN, and Shoprite closed stores in Nigeria after retaliatory attacks in one of the store.

    South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said the government decided to temporarily close the embassy in Nigeria for security reasons after a protest march was planned there and threats of violence were received.

    In an interview on the sidelines of a continental economic conference in Cape Town, Pandor said South Africa was in constant contact with Nigerian authorities and was also working to restore calm in areas affected by the violence.

    “There is an Afrophobia we are sensing that exists, there is resentment and we need to address that,” Pandor said.

    “There is a targeting of Africans from other parts of Africa, we can’t deny that. But, there is also criminality … because a lot of this is accompanied by theft,” she said, describing the attacks as a complex phenomenon whose root causes were not easy to define.

    The violence in South Africa has overshadowed the conference of the World Economic Forum in Cape Town. Nigeria announced on Wednesday it would boycott the meeting.

    The withdrawal from the summit of Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who was scheduled to address a panel on universal energy access on Thursday, has cast a cloud over initiatives to boost intra-African trade.