The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, has explained that repositioning the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) is non-negotiable, as the process will improve small-holder farmers’ access to grants, boost food production and generate revenue for the country.  He made this known during a familiarisation tour of some agricultural institutions in Kaduna State over the weekend, saying the Federal Government remained committed to the diversification plan through agriculture. Abubakar, who said the plan would boost...

The postmaster-general (PMG) of the federation, Dr. Ismail Adewusi, has said the Nigerian Postal Services (NIPOST) is fully aware of its role in the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy. Speaking on the World Post Day 2021 commemorated over the weekend, October 9, 2021, with the theme ‘Innovate to recover’, the PMG said the agency has keyed fully into the digital economy agenda of the Muhammadu Buhari...

The executive vice-chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, has highlighted the various regulatory measures of the commission towards the adoption of e-governance and other Internet-driven services in the country.The EVC listed these measures in a presentation delivered during the Nigeria e-Government Summit 2021 recently held in Lagos titled ‘e-Government: opportunities and challenges,’ in which he focused on how government agencies...

The Nigerian Government has received over 500,000 Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccines donated by the French government through the COVAX facility. The executive director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, disclosed this during the receipt of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine in Abuja. Shuaib said the vaccines which were received in Nigeria on Monday, (October 4) were a demonstration of France’s confidence in Nigeria’s capability as an active and progressive partner in...

President Muhammadu Buhari, today (October 8), signed the amended Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (Amendment) Bill 2021 into law. The president assented to the amended bill in consonance with the commitment of his administration to diversify the economy with agriculture playing a critical role.  A statement from the senior special assistant to the president, Garba Shehu, said the amendment makes it possible for...

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has completed the training of 121 aviation security (AvSec) officers. The AvSec officers, drawn from the airports in Abuja, Maiduguri, Yola, Jos, Gombe, Dutse, Sokoto, Zaria, Kaduna, Kebbi, Makurdi and Katsina were taken through the mandatory six weeks STP 123 Basic Course, which was both intellectual and physical. Some of the topics taken during the course included...

Preparations are in top gear for the deregulation of the TELA maize, genetically modified to be resistant to the deadly fall armyworm, stem borer and survive moderate drought. Scientists at the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in collaboration with the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) have completed confined field trials of TELA maize and presented it to the public...

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has revealed that Nigeria achieved 98 per cent of her goals under the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Support Programme. The team head of the environment and climate change (ECC) unit of the UNDP Nigeria, Mr. Muyiwa Odele, revealed this during the meeting of the UNDP-NDC support programme steering committee in Abuja, saying the feat was achieved with...

The Minister of State for Environment, Barr. Sharon Ikeazor, has said 60 per cent or more of all households in Nigeria will still be cooking with traditional biomass by 2030 if Nigeria fails to review her existing policies to promote clean cooking. Speaking at the 2021 Nigeria Clean Cooking Forum themed - ‘Clean cooking energy for all in Nigeria – achieving the Nationally Determined...

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has identified energy transition as the pathway for transformation of the global energy sector from a fossil-based one to zero-carbon emission economy. Speaking at the Seplat Energy Summit 2021 themed - ‘Global Trends in Energy Transition and the Africa Perspective’, he averred that at the heart of this pathway was the need to reduce energy-related carbon emissions to limit climate change to...