NALDA To Crash Maize, Rice Prices Across Nigeria

*Commences Harvest From Farm Estates The National Land Development Agency (NALDA) is set to crash the price of maize and rice as it commences crop harvest from its farm estates across Nigeria. The Agency has farm estates across Nigeria has achieved tremendous success in both farms built and run solely by the agency and in collaboration with private and public institutions across the six geopolitical zones. Harvesting, bagging and storing of rice and maize are currently ongoing in Niger, Nasarawa, Benue, and Oyo states. The agency targets 150 metric tons of maize while the faro 44 and 59 rice cultivated at Nasarawa state is expected to yield over 300 metric tons of paddies. Harvesting and bagging have also ongoing in the NALDA-cultivated 150-hectare rice farm in Gboko, Benue State. According to the agency, it is anticipated that the harvests will boost Nigeria’s grain supply (rice and maize), which will have a big effect on the value chains. Evidence from states during the media tour of harvest activities at farm sites showed that the harvests will help to reduce the gap in domestic production and supply of rice and maize. Speaking with journalists, NALDA Executive Secretary, Prince Paul Ikonne, said the harvest will be released into the markets immediately as it would greatly assist in cushioning the effects of high food prices. In Bauchi State, maize harvest is ongoing at the well-equipped NALDA farm estate located at Galambi. Although the overall land area is 500 hectares, 50 hectares were cultivated due to a 15-day rain delay and a late start to activities. The farm is equipped with four tractors, two maize threshers, planters, boom sprayers, maize harvesters, and a finished grain warehouse. The Bauchi State Coordinator for NALDA is Jalaludeen Muhammad Mu’Azu. said that the NALDA farm will boost significant production in the area because no farms in the state possessed such machinery. Head, Department of Engineering, at NALDA, Engineer Owolabi Matthew Olusegun, speaking with journalists about the level of mechanisation on the farm expresses joy at the level of impact the harvest will have on the Nigeria economy. “This is what we have been preaching, and it is proof that Nigeria is capable of doing so, as you have witnessed firsthand at NALDA Farm. With this, you can see how much labour we have removed, how much drudgery has been eliminated, and how the entire process has been streamlined. “We are therefore appealing to the federal government to invest more in NALDA. We are ready to replicate this farm all over the country. With this we can increase the acreage to ensure that we get food self-sufficiency. We can do it and we are doing it,” he said. According to Mu’Azu, the crop’s success has already piqued the interest of farmers in the surrounding farming communities. He explained that the entire farm operation was entirely mechanized, from harrowing to planting to spraying fertilizer with a 400-litre capacity boom sprayer and machinery for weeding and harvesting. According to him, “we have just started our harvest and you know this is the first time we are farming here. From the stories that we heard from people, there is a particular place they showed us that since they came here 40 years ago, they have never seen maize production that can be compared to our own.”

ICPC Launches N3.8bn Projects’ Tracking In Sokoto

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has initiated the tracking of 72 executive and constituency projects valued at over N3.8 billion in Sokoto State. The investigative effort falls under Phase 6 of the ‘ICPC Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking (CEPT)’ programme, which is currently underway in several states across the country. Mr Sa’idu Yahaya, the Team Leader, on Monday announced that it would be inspecting projects across various sectors, including health, education, water supply, empowerment and electrification. “These projects were awarded at an approximate cost of N3.8 billion and are expected to be fully executed. “Our group, consisting of members from the ICPC, the Nigeria Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Civil Society Organizations, and the Media, will commence the exercise. “This is in order to monitor and assess projects’ performance, the value of work done, contractor identification, payment details, and project status,” he said. Yahaya added that part of the team’s goal was to determine the value and impact of these projects on the communities they serve. The team had visited the newly constructed and equipped Faculty of Engineering at the Sokoto State University. Other projects include a newly constructed block of classrooms and furnishings at Tafida Aminu Primary School and the installation of 38 solar street lights in the Mabera area of Sokoto South local Government.

FG launches initiative to provide 5m eye glasses to visually impaired Nigerians

President Bola Tinubu has thrown his full support behind a groundbreaking collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Health’s National Eye Health Programme and the Peek Vision Foundation. This partnership seeks to deliver over five million pairs of eyeglasses to Nigerians with vision impairments. Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, issued a statement on Friday confirming President Tinubu’s commitment to the initiative after a courtesy visit by Prof. Andrew Bastawrous, the Founder and CEO of Peek Vision Foundation and Co-Founder of the Vision Catalyst Fund. President Tinubu shared a personal connection to the cause, recounting how his mother’s eye health issue inspired his dedication to mass provision of eye care services. He emphasized the importance of ensuring that all Nigerians, especially those who may not have someone to advocate for them, have access to proper eye care. The President reminisced about the positive impact of free eye screenings and surgeries in Lagos during his tenure as Governor and pledged his support to expanding such efforts nationwide. He further expressed concern for the more than 24 million Nigerians facing varying degrees of vision impairments, emphasizing the critical role of sight in economic development, whilst citing his visionary “Jigi Bola” program initiated during his governorship tenure, which set the standard for proactive eye care initiatives in West Africa. “My first experience was with my mother of blessed memory. She was ill and she could not recognise me. When I intervened, she was treated and given a pair of glasses. The next question she asked me was: ‘I have you, and you are able to do this for me. What about those other women and their children who may not have somebody like you to intervene for them? “So, I made a promise to her that I will pursue the mass provision of eye care vigorously and that I would provide free eye screenings and surgeries to people because of that question my mother asked me and because of her passion to see others healed. “We eventually impacted the eye health of millions of people in Lagos, and you could see their joy over the immediate sight enhancements when they were given a pair of glasses,” the President fondly recalled. Prof. Bastawrous, sharing his own transformative experience with vision care, stressed that good vision unlocks human potential and improves earning, learning, and overall wellness. He highlighted the chronic underfunding of eye care in many countries, including Nigeria, where a mere 0.0002 percent of the health budget is allocated to eye health. The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, presented a National Policy Document on Eye Health to President Tinubu. He praised the President’s dedicated team in the health sector and welcomed Peek Vision’s methodology and platform to unlock resources for eye health in Nigeria. Prof. Bastawrous mentioned that similar initiatives had unlocked substantial funds in other countries. The initiative aims to provide five million eyeglasses to Nigerians with vision impairments, representing a significant step toward improved eye health and enhanced opportunities for individuals and communities across Nigeria.