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Heritage Bank, GEZAWA set to transform Nigeria’s agric sector to huge commercial hub

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…Emerges Lead Settlement Bank, Transaction Adviser

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The Nigerian agricultural sector is set to witness a huge growth, as Heritage Bank Plc the lead settlement bank for Gezawa Commodity Market (GCMX) has collaborated with key stakeholders to revolutionise agricultural value-chain, aimed at providing fully integrated ecosystem for commodity Exchange.

Heritage Bank was appointed as the Lead Settlement Bank and Transaction Adviser to the Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Ltd and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the two firms, whilst over 10, 000 farmers in 3000 cooperatives in the 44 local governments of Kano States were hosted.

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The partnership between Heritage Bank and the Exchange would facilitate the ease of agro commodity trading in a more structured way, especially with the closeness to the Dawanu, the largest grain market in Africa.

The MD/CEO of Heritage Bank Plc, Ifie Sekibo, who was a panelist at the 2nd GCMX Farmers’ Cooperative Forum in Kano at the weekend, stated that the partnership is targeted to de-risk the sector that would bring about structured and enhanced agro-business and attain food security that leads to economic development.

Sekibo, who was represented by the Executive Director, Jude Monye explained that the partnership which would help bridge the huge gap associated to risk, will fast track effective price discovery mechanism and traceability and enhanced trade settlement services.

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Specifically, the bank’s helmsman stated that under the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) and the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Heritage Bank would provide on-lending funding to aggregated farmers in the 2020 farming season to grow various products that will serve as raw materials to the processors, thereby ensuring market linkages and access to the market as well as reduce importation and conserve Nigeria’s external reserves.

According to him, with its assigned position  Heritage Bank would play a pivotal role in ensuring that there would be an effective and readily available platform for market linkages among players in the agribusiness value chain, involving FMCGs, warehouse operators, collateral managers, processors, farmers’ cooperatives to transact in a seamless way that guarantee quality, quantity, payment and delivery.

Speaking the event, the ED/CEO of Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Segun Awolowo affirmed that the initiative would help foster diversification of non-oil export trade.

He, however, stated that NEPC would ensure that the primary for the signing of the MoU would be achieve, whilst calling for the need to ensure adequate and seamless supply of agricultural commodities for the business to be sustainable.

The Gezawa Project Consultant, Binchang Binfa, Managing Director of Makarios Global Resource, disclosed, “the ultimate goal was to unlock the vast potential of agricultural value chain via partnerships and synergy with likeminded enterprises, organisations and institutions that will mutually create wealth, generate local employment and contribute significantly to the economic growth and GDP the nation.”

He stated that the Exchange would provide services on price discovery and transparency, increase foreign exchange earning capacity, commodity storage and warehouse receipt system, employment generation of 15, 000 direct and indirect jobs, investment opportunities, increase in non-oil export, ease of doing business, weather report, soil test report, as well as 24/7 online trading of commodities on alive trading platform. 

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Sahara weekly online is published by First Sahara weekly international. contact saharaweekly@yahoo.com

society

Taiwo Oyekan Partners Lagos Fire Service To Sensitize Residents, Traders On Fire Prevention And Safety Tips

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Taiwo Oyekan Partners Lagos Fire Service To Sensitize Residents, Traders On Fire Prevention And Safety Tips

As Part of his Oversight functions and Community Intervention Initiatives,
The Deputy Leader of Lagos Island Local Government Legislative Arm, Hon. Taiwo Oyekan has taken a step further to organise Sensitization Exercise on Preventive measures for fire outbreak and Practical useful safety tips for Locals across the Island.

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According to Hon. Oyekan, the exercise became necessary following persistent Fire Incidents on Lagos Island Local Government Area, Particularly in Market Places and Homes.

“Specifically, this is to forestall future occurrence”, he stated in an electronic message,

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The Community Development Crusader urged Residents and Traders to shun practices that could cause fire outbreak.

The officers of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service was led by the Chief Fire Officer/Head, Monitoring and Enforcement, Mr. Olukotun Afeez.

While addressing the Traders, he outlined causative factors of Fire and safety tips while his Men demonstrated how to curtail it in Homes and Markets.

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Mr. Olukotun charged the Residents and Traders to acquire Fire Extinguishers and/or Smoke Detectors and install in their Homes and Business Premises.

The Fire Service Men and Team TAIWO OYEKAN visited Idumota, Docemo, Mandilas, Ereko/Martins, Balogun Markets and adjoining Communities.

The LSFRS and Team TAIWO OYEKAN jointly distributed Enlightenment Flyers to Traders, Constituents and Passerbys.

The Chief Fire Officer/Head of Monitoring and Enforcement urged Lagosians to call Fire and Emergency Service Providers on 767 or 112; Provide detailed information about the location of inferno.

Hon. Oyekan however reiterated his commitment to qualitative representation and Community Development.

© PTO Media & Strategy Centre

 

.Taiwo Oyekan Partners Lagos Fire Service To Sensitize Residents, Traders On Fire Prevention And Safety Tips

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Nigeria: The Changing Governance Story

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Nigeria: The Changing Governance Story

Today, however, Nigeria is home to the largest single-train refinery in the world, with the capacity to process 650,000 barrels of crude per day

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Nigeria: The Changing Governance Story

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Temitope Ajayi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sahara Weekly Reports That Tracking many stories of remarkable progress currently taking place in Nigeria can be a challenging task. This is so because these important stories are lost to some who daily indulge in the cacophony of adverse reports. These negative news often dominates the headlines.

 

 

 

 

Nigeria: The Changing Governance Story

 

 

 

 

 

With a 24-hour news cycle that tends to focus mainly on distasteful narratives, several Nigerians have been made to accept the view that nothing good is happening in their country.

Those who rely on the mainstream media and social media as the only sources of news and information they consume are the worst hit by the cycle of misinformation that portrays our country as descending rapidly to the edge of the precipice. However, the reality is different: the country is making progress in leaps and bounds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Late Swedish physician and Professor of International Health at Karolinska Institute, Hans Rosling, his son, Ola Rosling, and daughter-in-law, Anna Rosling, extensively dwell on this subject in “Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think,” a book published in 2018. In the book, the authors demonstrate that most people are made to hold the wrong notion about the state of the world because the media project data, analyse trends and select stories to make people assume that things are getting worse around them. The authors assert that a majority of people view the world as poorer, less healthy, and a more dangerous place to live in than it actually is. In other words, many people believe they are living in a worse period in the history of mankind because of misinformation.

 

The same situation the Roslings describe in their book is at play in Nigeria, where individuals, interest groups, activists, analysts, self-serving politicians, and opposition elements constantly project and amplify negative stories.

It is as if we are in a race with those who can say the most horrible things about our country. Yet, we have an abundance of good stories to tell the world. We seem so numb to the good news that we are dismissive of breakthroughs and innovative trends. For instance, we downplay the significance of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and its possibilities to reflate the economy.

 

Many people forgot so soon that we had been importing petroleum products for over three decades because the state-owned refineries are moribund. Our national economy bled, and the country was in a fiscal cul-de-sac for those years as a result of subsidy payments on petroleum products.

 

Today, however, Nigeria is home to the largest single-train refinery in the world, with the capacity to process 650,000 barrels of crude per day. Cynics do not see this as a breakthrough.

 

Nigerians who are 60 years old and below started seeing modern rail infrastructure in 2016 when the All Progressives Congress-led administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the standard gauge rail system, beginning with the Abuja-Kaduna route, later Lagos-Ibadan and then the Warri-Itakpe.

 

The national rail modernisation project is progressing with Kano-Katsina-Maradi and Kano-Kaduna standard gauge rail projects at different stages of completion. The contractor working on the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri narrow gauge recently announced the completion of the Port Harcourt-Aba section. While the Federal Government is rallying stakeholders to promote economic integration across the country, the Lagos State Government recently launched two metro rail lines -Blue and Red Rail lines – as part of the state’s elaborate master plan to build a modern and efficient megacity. Like Lagos State, there are visible signs of remarkable, quantifiable progress in several other states, including Kaduna, Kano, Akwa-Ibom, Rivers, Kebbi, Borno, Gombe, Oyo, Ekiti and Ogun, among others.

 

A few weeks ago, the President Bola Tinubu-led administration embarked on the construction of the 700 kilometres Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway that will connect nine coastal states in another bold move to bolster economic growth further and open up the country to productive economic activities.

 

While it may be very easy for critics and other armchair analysts to ignore these developments and their significance to remaking Nigeria, there is no gainsaying that these projects and many more that are ongoing or about to be instituted across critical sectors are the core of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. Indeed, it is hard to process why the so-called critics and cynics can not see the Lagos-Calabar Highway project as a clear demonstration of the President’s commitment to harnessing the potential of our renascent Blue Economy.

 

Despite what is bandied by the most vociferous critics

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PDP: How Primate Ayodele’s Prophecy Exposed Ex-Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike (VIDEO)

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Primate Ayodele’s Fulfilled Prophecies On Venezuela, Naira Fall, Plane Crash, Others

*PDP: How Primate Ayodele’s Prophecy Exposed Ex-Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike (VIDEO)

 

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The national executive council (NEC) meeting of the People Democratic Party (PDP) that held yesterday further cemented the strength of the former governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike and his G-5 group in the party despite the fact that they all worked against the candidate of the party during the 2023 presidential election.

Before the NEC meeting, many political analyst and commentators had predicted that Nyesom Wike, who is a serving minister under the current APC administration will not be admitted into the meeting because of his political affiliations and support for an opposition party but they were all caught by surprise yesterday when the former Rivers state governor was graciously admitted into the meeting.

It became more surprising that Wike’s ally, Umar Damagum was allowed to continue his rule as the acting national chairman of the party despite calls from different sections of the party that he had to step down. All of these only indicate that Nyesom Wike, in spite of his moves against PDP, still has so many grips on the party.

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Interestingly, the actions of Nyesom Wike have all been foretold by Nigerian prophet, Primate Elijah Ayodele who has been warning PDP stakeholders to put their house in order. In 2023, the man of God warned that the party will be destroyed by a force and that the party will be separated. He mentioned that Wike has a strategy and he will try his best to install the next chairman of the party because he has an ambition to become the president of Nigeria.

These were his words:

‘’There is a force ready to destroy PDP, if the party doesn’t rise to these big challenges, the party will be separated. One party will go to another party and that will be very tough. PDP should put their house together. Wike has a strategy because he still aims to become a president in Nigeria and is still willing to take over the party. He has not relent in his efforts of becoming president and is ready to hold PDP…..He will want to install the next chairman of PDP and this will begin to cause friction in the party. PDP must watch this’’

@primateayodele

#pdp #wike #nyesomwike #saraki #seyimakinde #pdp #umarilliyea #bukolasaraki #okowa #atiku #atikuabubakar #bala #governorsforum #ngf #primateayodele #iescworldwide

♬ original sound – Primate Ayodele

It is worthy of note that Primate Ayodele has been warning PDP to be wary of Wike’s grievances since 2022. Long before the formation of G-5 governors, Primate Ayodele warned that five governors including Nyesom Wike will work against PDP in the presidential election. He advised the party’s candidate and leadership to ensure the former governor doesn’t leave the party because it will cause jeopardy.

‘’PDP should not allow Wike to leave because if he leaves, the chances of the party in the presidential election will be jeopardized. What Wike is dragging can cause PDP so much that Atiku should try to adjust, and this is not about dominating.

‘’If PDP does not settle its crisis, the party will go into oblivion after 2023; Atiku should consult God, technocrats, and those that love him; otherwise, this Wike’s crisis can sink PDP.’’

Atiku vs Wike: PDP’ll lose presidency, sink into oblivion if Rivers gov leaves – Primate Ayodele

Till today, the crisis the party is experiencing is basically because of the withdrawal of support by Nyesom Wike. The party is currently going into oblivion due to the grievances of Nyesom Wike and the G-5 group. Primate Ayodele’s prophecies already exposed these plans but sadly, the party’s leadership didn’t listen.

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