Revving up yam production, farmers’ profit with technologies
The constraints to yam production include poor value addition technologies, scarcity and high cost of quality yam seeds, and on and off farm post-harvest losses. Moreover, most of the tubers are of low quality, containing pests (nematodes) and pathogens (virus) which decrease the yield of yam tubers. ), but successfully growing yam on aeroponics is a novelty for rapidly multiplying the much needed clean seed yam tubers in large quantities. Maroya and Dr Robert Asiedu, IITA Director for Western Africa, said Aeroponics System was coming at an appropriate time for African farmers, because seed yam production was expensive and inefficient. Apart from Aeroponics System, tissue culture and mini-sets are also rapid seedling multiplication technologies for disease-free yam seeds.
Source:The Guardian
August 06, 2020 04:30 UTC
Nigeria missing as space race gathers momentum | The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News
A study published in International Journal of Business and Management Future and titled “Africa’s Space Technology Investment and Socio-Economic Returns: The Case of Nigeria”, took a look at space technology investment in Africa and application of space technology in solving socio-economic problems in the continent with a special focus on Nigeria. The NigeriaSat-1 was the first Nigerian satellite and built by a United Kingdom-based satellite technology company, Surrey Space Technology Limited (SSTL limited) under the Nigerian government sponsorship for $30 million. NigComSat-1, a Nigerian satellite ordered and built in China in 2004, was Nigeria’s second satellite and Africa’s first communication satellite. Egypt is home to the African Space Agency, established by the African Union in 2016, to help grow the continent’s nascent space industry. According to the Business and Market Analysis of the African Space Industry study by Space in Africa, over US$3 billion has been spent on space projects in Africa since 1998.
Source:The Guardian
August 06, 2020 04:30 UTC
Ohanaeze, IPOB meet, chart way forward for South East
As secessionist group seeks support for de-proscriptionDisagreements between apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) may have eased, as leaders of the groups met in Enugu yesterday to chart the way forward for the South East region. The Guardian learnt that the meeting was aimed at consolidating the peace accord recently reached between IPOB and Ohanaeze Ndigbo. President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, who confirmed the parley, said IPOB leaders appealed to Ohanaeze elders to assist in working towards its de-proscription. Responding, Nwodo reassured the IPOB leaders that he was always ready to accept them back into the fold no matter their earlier recalcitrance. He stated that Ohanaeze Ndigbo still believes in dialogue and restructuring of the country for an inclusive participation in the Nigeria project.
Source:The Guardian
August 06, 2020 04:18 UTC
Operators harp on technology to address Nigeria’s skills gap | The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News
The President, Robo Garden, Dr. Mohamed Elhabiby, said globally, countries have big issues regarding shortage of skills, with many plagued with high unemployment rate. He noted that with COVID-19, the situation would get even more challenging and Nigeria cannot afford to lag behind the global trend. We see a bright future going forward working in Africa,” he said. The Special Assistant, Technical Planning, Research & Development to the Minister of State for Education, Ministry of Education, Muna Onuzo-Iyamu, promised that the ministry would ensure that all hands are on deck to support digital education. “Coming to Nigeria is going to be tough and you just have to be patient as you deal with us.
Source:The Guardian
August 06, 2020 04:18 UTC
Body wants death of student at Ibadan factory investigated
• Seeks action against workplace safety lapses• FG seals Ibadan factory over student’s deathThe Association of Nigerian Women Safety Professionals (ANWOSAP) has decried the incidents of operational mishaps in workplaces. Reacting to the death of Gbadebo Johnson, a 300-level student of European Studies at the University of Ibadan, last week, due to an industrial accident in the Oluyole factory of Henkel Nigeria Limited, Ibadan, the body called for continued monitoring of safe work practices by regulatory agencies to ensure compliance with best health and safety standards. Employers must do whatever is reasonably practicable to achieve a safe workplace. Meanwhile, the Federal Government has sealed the Ibadan-based factory, Expand Global Manufacturing Limited, where 21-year-old student, Richard Gbadebo, died on July 28. The factory was sealed on Wednesday by officials of Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Source:The Guardian
August 06, 2020 04:18 UTC
Reviewing age limit for graduate employment
Belated as it seems, the recommendation of the Senate asking the Federal Government to direct the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Productivity to review age barrier for graduate employment and create jobs for Nigerian graduates, is commendable and consolatory. It seems to be a genuine expression of concern for the teeming unemployed graduate population in the country. Indeed, there is good sense in the positive review of the age-limit for graduate employment proposed by the Senate. Furthermore, the benefits of any positive review of age-limits mainly concern graduate employment in Federal Government establishments. Reviewing age-limit for graduate employment and job-creation by government MDAs are laudable moves, yet they remain tokenist as a policy addressing the problem of rising graduate unemployment.
Source:The Guardian
August 06, 2020 03:56 UTC
Internal democracy in political parties
First, let me commend Dr. Okwi Nwodo for recognizing that the absence of internal democracy in the political parties, is the reason for the deep leadership crisis that currently torments wellbeing in Nigeria. A few days ago Dr. Nwodo and I both featured in a Diaspora webinar organized by NIDO – Americas and he spoke quite eloquently on the subject of internal democracy in political parties. But the domain of culture includes the norms and ethics of political actors and the values of the political culture. A graphic illustration of this phenomenon of internal party democracy goes back to the one man one vote campaign by then Edo State Governor Adams Oshimole. Given the goal of those who frustrate internal democracy, it should be obvious that the target is to prevent people who Think (or have capacity).
Source:The Guardian
August 06, 2020 03:45 UTC
Politics, peace and the rule of law
Such persons should be ones whose lives should be mourned, even if they may still be humanly alive; and apparently still breathing! It should therefore be very obvious to anybody who takes the time to think about it, that the purpose of society and its leadership in the modern world should be that of the pursuit of THE COMMON GOOD, peace, universal progress, and the rule of law. It would be very obvious to one and all that any so-called governance that prides itself in the abuse of peace, THE COMMON/UNIVERSAL GOOD, social justice and the rule of law, is an anachronism. Why does one need to share this reflection in this newspaper, in ANY newspaper for that matter, in Nigeria today? Peace, the rule of law, universal love and progress for all, EVENLY, must become our political song in Nigeria.
Source:The Guardian
August 06, 2020 03:32 UTC
Patrick Dele Cole is 80
Dr. Patrick Dele Cole turned 80 years on Tuesday, 04 August, 2020. It was in the wake of the ensuing crisis that Dr. Patrick Dele Cole came into the saddle. Dr. Cole was the first in Nigeria to set up an editorial board patterned after what obtained in the United States. On the contrary, Dr. Cole disappointed everybody; he formed a rampart of defence around Daily Times and its editors. One of the intellectuals around the Obasanjo Administration, Dr. Cole was later to be appointed Nigeria’s ambassador to Brazil in the life of the Administration.
Source:The Guardian
August 06, 2020 03:32 UTC
Significance of the Ram
The chief sub, getting under pressure, is looking at the time, copy-flow is behind schedule; the deadline is knocking! It is tension, tension, tension unremitted. In one, mention was made of the graceful emblem of this column, The Ram. In one I read: “Plenty thanks to the ace stylist and TV talks show expert, Kingsley, for extricating me from the spun yarn of ram… With the virtual ram feast mercifully obliged by Kingsley all ram palate…ought to have been satiated. It read as follows:“The Ram which has been missing from The Guardian has been found.
Source:The Guardian
August 06, 2020 03:22 UTC
Illegal gas stations: The ticking time bombs in residential areas
Many gas retail outlets, most of which sell Liquefied Petroleum Gas (cooking gas), have sprung up in residential areas across the country in recent years. Several stakeholders, including the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers, have raised concerns over the rising number of retailers refilling cooking gas in shops. The Lagos State House of Assembly, in December 2019, stressed the need to regulate the sale of LPG in residential areas in order to curb incidents of gas explosion. But the union seriously condemns a situation whereby any explosion is wrongly attributed to cooking gas retailers. He, however, stressed the need to regulate the activities of the cooking gas retailers.
Source:Punch
August 05, 2020 23:26 UTC
Female soldier raped by bandits appeals dismissal
Adelani Adepegba, AbujaTHE Nigerian Army has dismissed a soldier for getting pregnant after she was raped by suspected bandits while travelling to Ogbomoso, Oyo State. The rape victim was charged with one count of ‘conduct prejudicial to service discipline,’ found guilty and dismissed from the regiment. She was taken to Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, where she was treated for six days. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]
Source:Punch
August 05, 2020 23:14 UTC
Reps summon Amaechi, Ahmed, DMO DG, others over Chinese loans
This is just as the Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements asked the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, to appear before it again on August 17. The committee, which is investigating Nigeria’s foreign loans, when Amaechi appeared before it on July 28, raised the alarm that the agreement signed with China might force Nigeria to cede its sovereignty to the Asian country. The source said, “As of now, it is not only the minister (Amaechi) that is going to come, the minister of finance will come. However, it is false that government signed away Nigeria’s sovereignty to China while taking those loans. “The loans which were suspected to have surrendered Nigeria’s sovereignty away were taken by the Buhari administration.
Source:Punch
August 05, 2020 23:03 UTC
JAMB and UTME candidates’ centres
The feature story in The PUNCH, Monday, August 3, 2020, entitled, Stranger than fiction: How JAMB posted candidates living in Abeokuta to Zamfara for UTME, refers. Each examination TOWN has a number of examination CENTRES within it, out of which the Board assigns candidates. In Lagos, for instance, the 69 approved centres were grouped into six examination towns for ease of administration as well as to forestall any incidence of connivance. They choose their preferred examination towns, institutions and desired programmes by themselves and are subsequently assigned to centres within their chosen examination towns shortly before the examination. Rather, the candidates do this while the Board does the distribution to centres within their preferred examination towns.
Source:Punch
August 05, 2020 23:03 UTC
Gombe MDA’s operated 700 accounts under ex-govt – Commissioner
Chima Azubuike, GombeNo fewer than 700 accounts were operated in the name of Gombe State Government by officials in the previous administration in the state. The state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Zubair Umar, stated this on Wednesday at an interactive discussion on Executive Orders No 4A (Urban Development and Enforcement) and 5 (TSA) under the chairmanship of the Secretary of the State Government, Prof. Ibrahim Njodi, who was represented by Commissioner for Housing & Urban Development, Adamu Kupto. Umar explained that a committee, led by the deputy governor, Manassah Jatau, made the discovery following its constitution by Governor Inuwa Yahaya. He said, “When we came into government, we discovered so many accounts operated by ministries and agencies of the government. From what I have heard and seen at the time the TSA committee started sitting, there were over 700 accounts bearing the name of Gombe State and being operated by officials of Gombe State; but majority of the revenue in accounts are not reflected in the account of government.
Source:Punch
August 05, 2020 23:03 UTC