Agriculture

Govs Can’t Ban Open Grazing – Miyetti Allah
Agriculture, News, Nigeria, Safety, Security

Govs Can’t Ban Open Grazing – Miyetti Allah

The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, a factional unit for herdsmen in Nigeria, has opposed the ban imposed on open grazing of cattle by South-West governors. Their position is, however, in contrast to that of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, which at a meeting with some governors in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on January 25, aligned with the position of the governors. Among the governors that attended the Akure meeting were the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi; Governors Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun State, Muhammad Badaru of Jigawa State, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State and Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State. MACBAN was led to the meeting by its chairman, Alhaji Muhammadu Kiruwa, among other attendees. Asides from the Sou...
We Can’t be Forced Out of South-West – Miyetti Allah
Agriculture, News, Nigeria, Security

We Can’t be Forced Out of South-West – Miyetti Allah

Herdsmen operating under the auspices of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore have say they cannot be evicted from the South-West, citing their rights as guaranteed by the Nigerian constitution to live and operate wherever they deem fit. The group promised to avenge the alleged attacks on and loss of herdsmen and their cattle, noting it would never put up with any act of injustice on herders. These were disclosed by the National Secretary of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Mr Alhassan Saleh, in an interview with Sunday PUNCH against a backdrop of the eviction notices issued to criminal herdsmen by some South-West groups and personalities. Saleh condemned the quit notice given to herders to vacate any part of the country and that even if there were criminals among them, it was the function of the ...
Ban Open Grazing, Senator Tells Buhari
Agriculture, Legislature, News, Nigeria

Ban Open Grazing, Senator Tells Buhari

Tolulope Odebiyi, a member of the Nigerian Senate has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sign an executive order to ban open grazing by herdsmen in the country. The senator who represents the Ogun West Senatorial district on Wednesday while regretting the invasion of killer herdsmen into the country from neighbouring countries asked Buhari to take immediate action. Odebiyi said, “It is an indictment on our leadership that people are coming into Nigeria to rape, maim and kill our people. It is upsetting and we must rise up to this occasion. I rise that the President need to speak and calm the nation. “The President can sign an Executive Order banning open grazing. There are actions that he can take immediately but nothing is being done.” The South-West region has been in the ey...
Fayemi Calls on Youths to Embrace Agribusiness
Agriculture, News, Nigeria, Youths

Fayemi Calls on Youths to Embrace Agribusiness

Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has disclosed that his administration had put in place machinery to contribute the state’s quota to national development by attracting $200 million investment in the agriculture sector. He said the ventures, when fully operational, will provide jobs for more than 500,000 Ekiti people directly and indirectly, adding that these were parts of efforts to transform the state from being a civil servant economy to an agric-based industrialised economy. Dr. Fayemi spoke at an interactive session with Ekiti youths with the theme: “Ekiti youths, let’s talk: Engaging youths in agribusiness”, at Adetiloye Hall, Ado-Ekiti.Fayemi, who presented a paper and sat through one of the sessions, also cut his birthday cake with young entrepreneurs. The event was equally ...
Jegede Outlines Plans to End Farmers, Herders Clashes in Ondo
Agriculture, Elections, News, Nigeria, Safety, Security

Jegede Outlines Plans to End Farmers, Herders Clashes in Ondo

Eyitayo Jegede, flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP, in the Ondo State governorship election has vowed to put an end to the frequent classes between farmers and herdsmen in several communities in the state. He made the promise while addressing supporters from Aiyede/Ogbese, Ilu Abo, Bolorunduro, Alayere and Eleyeowo communities during his campaign rally. The governorship aspirant expressed sadness over alleged inability of the current All Progressive Congress (APC), government to arrest the situation by negotiating lasting truce between herders and farmers across the state. Jegede said, “We know you all have been neglected, in the face of frequent clashes between herdsmen and farmers; if you vote for us, we will bring in a crisis-resolution mechanism that will make ev...
CBN Urges Nigerian Banks to Increase Agric Sector Lending to 10%
Agriculture, Covid-19, Economy, Finance, News, Nigeria

CBN Urges Nigerian Banks to Increase Agric Sector Lending to 10%

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele has asked banks in Nigeria to consider increasing the percentage of loans available to the agriculture sector to 10 percent by 2024. Emefiele advocated for a spike in the current four per cent. This comes on the heels of optimism by Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed that the Nigeria economy will bounce back strongly within the near term with the right policy responses to the multidimensional crises occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CBN governor while delivering an address at the opening ceremony of the 13th Annual Banking and Finance Conference said the sum of N69 billion had so far been disbursed to over N140,000 beneficiaries from the N100 billion CBN COVID-19 support...
Government Will not Pay a Kobo of Foreign Reserves to Import Food or Fertilizer Says President Buhari
Agriculture, Economy, Finance, News, Nigeria

Government Will not Pay a Kobo of Foreign Reserves to Import Food or Fertilizer Says President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has instructed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to make forex inaccessible for people seeking to import food items and fertilizer. The President said this at the meeting of the National Food Security Council at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday. It restates the earlier directive on forex given by Buhari in August 2019. President Buhari asked private businesses determined to import food items to use their money to compete with local farmers, noting that government will not provide forex for such purposes in a bid to promote local production. He said, “I am restating it that nobody importing food or fertilizer should be given foreign exchange from the Central Bank. We will not pay a kobo of our foreign reserves to import food or fertilizer. ...
Inauguration Speech by Dr Akinwumi Adesina on His Election for a Second 5-Year Tenure
Africa, African Development, Agriculture, Finance, News, Nigeria, Press Statement

Inauguration Speech by Dr Akinwumi Adesina on His Election for a Second 5-Year Tenure

PROTOCOLS Your Excellency, President Alassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire Your Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Governments Excellencies former Heads of State and Governments Chairperson of the African Union Commission The Former Commonwealth Secretary General Honorable Niale Kaba, the outgoing Chairperson of the Bureau of Governors of the African Development Bank Group and Minister of National Planning of Côte d’Ivoire— Madam “Quiet Force” or “Force tranquille” The new Chairperson of the Bureau of the Board of Governors, Honorable Ken Ofori Ata, Minister of Finance of Ghana Governors of the African Development Bank, from 81 capitals around the world ...
Opinion: Should I Boycott Nigerian Beef?
Agriculture, Boko Haram, Fulani Herdsmen, News, Nigeria, Terrorism

Opinion: Should I Boycott Nigerian Beef?

25th June 2020   This article is one that I posted on June 18, 2019 on my Facebook page. The question is now even more urgent with the violence, slaughter and food insecurity being foisted upon the country by herdsmen. Please therefore consider this question well: Should I boycott beef?   By early 2016, the world was horrified to hear about massacres and destruction carried out by nomadic herdsmen when Agatu in Benue State, Nigeria experienced appalling violence. Even before that time there had been regular reports of herdsmen trespassing onto farms, slaughtering people, stealing, destroying, and then grabbing the lands of their victims. The mindless slaughter continues and we now read that these militant herdsmen have been ranked as the fourth deadliest terrorist gro...
Nigerian Farmers to Get $1.1 Billion Loan Intervention from CBN
Agriculture, Covid-19, Economy, Finance, Nigeria

Nigerian Farmers to Get $1.1 Billion Loan Intervention from CBN

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said it plans to empower farmers with N432 billion ($1.1 billion) intervention loan to upscale food production during the planting season. The apex bank said through its Twitter handle on Thursday that about one million farmers will be given loan to cultivate more than one million hectares of land to ensure adequate food supply as the economic effects of covid-19 unravels. The West African nation has been pushing for more investment in the agricultural sector as a drift from reliance on crude, which accounts for estimated 90% of the countries revenues. The CBN projects increased production of cash crops such as cotton, rice, tomato, cassava, cocoa and maize for self-reliance cum revenue generation through export.