Presidency raises alarm over impending starvation

Abuja - Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, has revealed that Nigerians might starve to death by 2025 if the country does not embrace all round farming.

Ogbeh was speaking on Thursday during the budget defence of 2016.

He said the present mode of farming will not sustain the increasing population in the country which is likely to be around 509 million by 2025.

He noted that there was the urgent need for all major stakeholders to work towards improving mechanized farming and irrigation, to ensure an all year farming to avert the problem.

He stated that the federal government is looking at intensifying and consolidating on the local staples, the yams, the cassava, the beans, especially rice and wheat. Both of which consume $11 million per day in import.

Facebook records massive adoption in Nigeria

Lagos  - Some 16 million people in Nigeria visit popular social networking site, Facebook every month, the company’s Head of Africa has disclosed.

Further statistics suggest all these users access the service on mobile while each day, some 7,2 million people visit Facebook, with 7 million on mobile.

Nunu Ntshingila, Head of Africa for Facebook, disclosed the figures to coincide with Friends Day (February 4), which is Facebook’s 12th birthday.

She said during the past five years, the global Facebook community had more than doubled in size, and its community in Nigeria continued to grow.

Ntshingila said they would this year deepen their partnerships with Nigerian businesses.

“We’re committed to Nigeria, and during this visit we shared insights with our business and agency partners on how to deliver personalised marketing, at scale, where people are – on their mobile phone. We want to make sure Nigeria - its people, its agencies and its businesses - realise the opportunity that technology and mobile bring,” she said.

She said they knew the mobile platform people used the most in Nigeria was Facebook and up to 77 percent of Nigerians on Facebook used their mobile device to discover new products and services.

“Nigerians are sophisticated mobile users and this sophistication is increasing fast – people are ahead of businesses, and we’re here,” Ntshingila said

Nicola Mendelsohn, Vice President, EMEA, at Facebook, said Friends Day in Nigeria was about hearing the stories of the community using Facebook our platform to grow and connect with others.

“We have made amazing progress over the past year.  We’re only 1 percent done in Nigeria and inspired to do even more in this fast-moving, mobile first country,” said Mendelsohn

Oliseh: NFF must address issues of players’ bonuses

Lagos - Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh says the Nigeria Football Federation must address the issues of players’ bonuses and allowances to avoid a repeat of the unfortunate incident that happened in Rwanda.

Nigeria crashed out of the 2016 African Nations Championship, a situation Oliseh attributed to lack of payment of players’ bonuses and allowances.

Oliseh disclosed on Brila FM that “for 50 days the Football Association had not provided basic allowances to the players who cannot afford to buy a bottle of soft drink.”

Meanwhile, ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against 7-time champions, Egypt in March, Oliseh has declared the NFF must address the problem of funding.

Oliseh informed that he has identified 10 players from Nigeria’s failed CHAN 2016 campaign, who will be integrated into the main team.

Egypt top group G with six points, two more than Nigeria and Oliseh expressed concerns that the dire financial straits of the Federation could hinder the country’s chances of making it to Gabon in 2017.

NFF present N5.9B budget, National Assembly approve N1.2B

Out of the N5.9 billion 2016 budget presented by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to the National Assembly, only N1.2 billion was approved.

The reason for the approval of N1.2 billion was due to bad presentation of the budget by the NFF, a source revealed.

Prior to the approval, a sum of N1.5 billion was budgeted to be spent on Super Eagles’ participation in the Championship of African Nations (CHAN) scheduled for Rwanda from January 16 to February 7, 2016. Nigeria crashed out of the tournament in the group stage.

Also read: Oliseh: NFF must address issues of players’ bonuses

The NFF also budgeted 672 million naira for the U20 Fifa Women World Cup billed for Papua New Guinea from November 13 to December 3 and earmarked 369 million naira for Dream Team’s Rio 2016 Olympics campaign.

The Federation set aside 920 million naira for Super Falcons' preparation, qualifiers and participation in the 2016 African Women Championship in Cameroon, while the Flying Eagles' preparation and participation in the U-20 Cup of Nations would require 620 million naira.

It also budgeted 651 million naira for Super Sand Eagles campaign in the 2016 COPA Lagos Beach Soccer championship, 115 million naira for grassroots youth championships as well as 286 million naira for payment of coaches' salaries.

Supreme Court okays Saraki’s trial at CCT

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the appeal filed by the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki to stop his ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal for false declaration of assets.
In its judgement, the apex court declared that Saraki’s CCT trial is proper and in order.

Reading out the judgment of the apex court on Friday, Justice Walter Samuel Onnoghen held that the Danladi Umar-led CCT was properly constituted to exercise jurisdiction over Saraki’s trial. 

The Court dismissed all the grounds Saraki brought for determination in seeking to discontinue his trial by the CCT.

The Code of Conduct Bureau had leveled a 13-count criminal charge against the former Kwara State Governor before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) over alleged false declaration of assets.
Saraki was accused of deliberately manipulating the assets declaration form that he filled prior to his assumption of office as the Senate President, by making anticipatory declaration of assets as well as operated foreign bank account while in office as a public servant.

PDP demands arrest of APC Rivers chairman

Abuja - Reports of an alleged plan to assassinate Rivers State leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have taken a new twist with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) demanding the arrest of APC state chairman, Davis Ikanya.

Jerry Needam, spokesperson to Felix Obuah, PDP regional chair, said the party was aware of a media statement emanating from Ikanya alleging plot by members of our party to eliminate some selected chieftains of the APC.

"To the best of our knowledge and for record purposes, there is no such plan, and we also vouch that no member of our great party, the PDP, has contemplated or has any reason to carry out such action, especially now that all our attention is geared towards sustaining the hard earned prevailing peace and total development in the state,” said Needam.

“We strongly condemn this damaging step and deliberate plot by Mr Ikanya and the APC leaders to paint our party in bad light, all in their quest to cause disaffection, social and political unrest in our State, apparently irked by the outcome of the Supreme Court Judgment, which gives victory to our Party and Governor Wike.”

Needam said the allegation was thus “false”, "ill-conceived” and "unsubstantiated.”

While calling on the law enforcement agencies to immediately investigate Ikanya’s allegation, which he said were capable of destabilising the state, Needam reiterated the party valued life and would not do anything in disregard of its sanctity.

“The PDP chairman also calls on the general public to discountenance Ikanya’s malicious and unfounded allegation, urging the Police and the State Security Service to investigate and charge him accordingly, for false information and incitement.”

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